


Cold touch for a warm heart

by Norivia



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:20:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 47,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23774479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Norivia/pseuds/Norivia
Summary: Working as one of Nathanos Blightcaller's most trusted champions outside of the dark rangers turns out to reveal much of him that one would've never thought existed. The Dark lady's champion was more than just snark and insults?Who would've thought?It turns out that the emotional dark haired rogue is a bit more than he can handle and he often finds himself questioning why he puts up with her.
Relationships: Nathanos Blightcaller/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 42
Kudos: 64
Collections: (A high regard for Nathanos)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first fic ever and I haven't written properely in years so! This is likely going to be preeettyy bad compared to alot of the amazing works on this site. The formatting is more than likely horrendous too but I'm learning haha.
> 
> I'm not entirely sure where I want to take this so I suppose the eventual ending will be a surprise for both of us.
> 
> Just to note I'm not going to be very strictly sticking to BFA lore, as I want to have freedom to do my own sort of thing. 
> 
> Feedback may or may not change depending on how spicy I want to make things eventually. 
> 
> This first chapter contains the beginnings of sexual assault. It doesn't go any further than forced kisses etc, but I figured I'd warn just in case. 
> 
> Any feedback is appreciated!

By the Sunwell, she was exhausted. Sleep did not come easily to her these days either in the form of it not coming at all, or being interrupted by nightmares. Tonight was one such night's. She had awoken drenched in cold sweat; her cheeks wet and tear stained with new ones still forming. Slowly, she moved to sit up. A shaky sigh escaped the blood elf as she pushed damp strands of dark hair away from her face that had clung to it uncomfortably. 

A walk. She needed a walk. 

It was still dark outside with the moon slowly reaching the end of her journey; casting the city of Zuldazar in a lunar glow that looked almost beautiful. After getting dressed in a simple blouse and leather breeches, and of course equipped with a dagger just in case, she stepped out of the comforts of her small rented room. The docks were her desired destination, for there was little else she loved more than to gaze out at the sea. Perhaps in another life she should have been a pirate, for she certainly had the attitude of one. But in this, she served as a champion of her Warchief, though every day that became harder to follow through on. Sylvanas was… leading the Horde on a dark path, one which she did not agree with. But for the sake of keeping her body warm and  _ living _ , she couldn't do much else but follow the orders barked by either her, or Nathanos. 

The slight chill that hung in the air was a pleasant change from the usually grossly warmness that she still had yet to get used to. 

Zuldazar certainly was very different than anything she was used to. The city in itself was incredible, even she could see that. But it simply was not her… Style. Too many reptiles rampaging all over the place, and too much chaos in general. And she was expected to help turn the Zandalari in favour of the Horde. Going from slaying demons on Argus in the legion invasion to rounding up  _ children _ ? It was almost insulting. But it was easy work that paid for her room. Then of course there were the missions from Nathanos. A man who she just did not get along with, though it seemed he hated most everyone except his beloved Dark Lady, of course. 

Another sigh escaped the Sin'doreis' lips as the docks came into view. Most everyone was sleeping, though that didn't surprise her. There were of course the occasional guards that patrolled around but she had yet to see more than two other people wandering about. 

She allowed herself to gaze out at the gentle ocean; watching how the moons' glow sparkled across the surface as though it were filled with thousands of little diamonds. The Banshees' Wail interrupted some of the otherwise beautiful view. She felt some mild form of distaste just from looking upon it. Shaking her head, Fayeliel began her walk down to the actual docks themselves, seeking to just sit by the edge and brood, as she usually did. 

That was, until her arm was grabbed just before she made it close to the water. A hand clasped over her mouth before she could ask what the hell they wanted. Her golden eyes widened as she was suddenly pulled back and out of view from guards behind a large stack of crates. Before her stood a troll with a shit eating grin that didn't match the predatory glint in his blue eyes that reminded her so much of a Death Knight. 

"Ay little elfie," The troll harshly grabbed at her chin as realisation hit her. Immediately she reached for the dagger by her hip, only to find it missing. He was pushing himself up against her with the disgusting smell of alcohol tinged troll breath choking up her breathing.

"Don't be resisting or dis won't be fun for either of us." 

Resisting was exactly what she was going to do. 

"Get your filthy hands off of me!" The elf hissed as she made a futile attempt at shoving the troll away. He did not as much as move in the slightest. In fact, it only seemed to amuse him for the only reaction that got was a chuckle as he nestled her in between his tusks; kissing all down her neck whilst his hands began work on the first two buttons of her blouse. 

"Get off!" Putting in as much force as she could, she jammed her elbow into his side. That time, it was enough to get him away, along with causing something to shatter against the floor. She wasn't sure what. The troll snarled and was back on her in an instant with a new addition. A blade at her throat. Her very own. That was when her aggression and hostility faded more into fear. She could not stop the quiet whimper as he had leant in close, pressing her dagger to her throat to the point where she was certain it had drawn blood. 

In a meager attempt at scaring the troll away, she brought up the fact that guards were still around, only for him to snort.

"I know how dey patrol, and we be out of sight here. Now shut dat pretty little mouth of yours." 

Once more, he set to work on littering her neck with sloppy kisses; keeping her pinned against the crates as her blouse was slowly coming apart at the front. She felt sick. Even as the dagger had been lifted away, she did not dare to anger the troll again. As it seemed, even their future allies had bad apples, though that wasn't a surprise. But she had never expected something like this to happen. Not here. They were in the middle of a  _ war _ and yet some still had the audacity to harm their allies? In the corners of her eyes she felt tears beginning to form. 

_ No _ . She would not cry because of some lowlife troll. By the light, she had slain demons; seen horrific things one never should have. And yet this disgusting filth laying his hands on her was enough to put her in such a state? The troll must have noticed her quiet sniffling for he stopped his attempts on her neck; instead muttering against it. 

"Come now, elfie… don't be gettin like dat, or you'll be makin me feel bad bout all dis." 

He lacked sincerity in his voice. The troll was mocking her. He chuckled as he began to run his rough hands up the front of her stomach. 

"Pretty little ting you be…" 

Fayeliel had forced her eyes shut by then, praying up to the light, Elune and whatever other damn holy being she could think of that could stop all of this, because she just couldn't. 

Then in an instant, the troll was gone, just as an all too familiar voice broke what had been an incredibly chilling silence. 

"And just  _ what _ do you think you are doing, pest?" 

Fayeliels' eyes snapped open and she was unable to stop the choked but relieved sob from forcing its way out from her throat. 

In front of her stood Nathanos Blightcaller who had presumably just torn the troll away form her by the back of his shirt. Said troll stared at Blightcaller with his eyes widened in fear. Though the Zandalari did not seem to like the dark ranger, they certainly knew of his position and that he was not a man to be trifled with. All it took to send the troll scampering away was a fiery red glare from the forsaken followed by a growled; "You have three seconds." 

Remembering her state, the elf was in her attempt at gathering up her shirt at the front. The last thing she had ever wanted was for her commander to see her like this and yet the situation did not seem to keep him from making a demeaning comment. "Impressive,  _ champion _ . You failed to even defend yourself against a single troll." Nathanos finally turned to look at her with a disapproving and just over all annoyed look on his pale features. His brows knitted together into a frown as his red gaze scanned over her face. It almost seemed as though his gaze had… Softened upon realising the state she was in. 

Fayeliel was at a loss for words. His insult upset her all the more and as much as she definitely did not want to display such weakness in front of him of all people, more tears threatened to spill from her eyes and so she turned away; wishing that it had been anyone else. Why did she feel this incredible sense of shame? None of this was her fault. What chance did she stand against a Zandalari troll with not even a dagger to fight him off with? As she worked on buttoning up her shirt whilst turned away from Nathanos, she heard him sigh in a tried manner. That sigh was followed by the sound of him walking towards her. "Champion." That time around, it did not sound as though he was trying to insult her. No, it seemed softer than his usual way of speaking, but only marginally. Swiping the remains of her crying away, she turned to look at him. He grabbed her chin in a way that was in stark contrast to how the troll had. The Blightcaller could be gentle? Her brows furrowed in confusion and she found herself unable to speak at all. 

Blightcaller did not seem to notice the look on her face, or perhaps he just didn't care. With his hand holding her chin, he turned her head side to side as his eyes scanned over her; likely looking for any visible injury. It lingered for a moment on the redness on the side of her neck before he let her go again. "Get to bed. You are needed in the morning. I doubt that scum will bother you again." And with that, he had already turned to leave, making his first steps away from her. 

Finally after what had seemed like forever, she had found her voice again. Doing her very best to not sound meek and more like her usual self, she spoke up, " Thank you… Commander." He had paused for a moment upon hearing that; head turning her way a fraction as he nodded before continuing his leave once again. And in that moment, she gained a whole lot more respect for him than she had harboured previously. What had been supposed to be a way for her to calm down from a nightmare had just turned into one itself. Now, she was in no mind to stay out there any longer and very much just wished to return to her bed. On her way back on still slightly shaky legs, she couldn't help but wonder how he had even known. Of course the forsaken didn't sleep, but something must've made him even bother to come over there. Perhaps whatever it was that had shattered against the ground? With how quiet it was at night, it had definitely stuck out. Or was it true what people said that forsaken could smell fear? She rather hoped not, for while she definitely  _ had  _ been scared _ ,  _ it was not something she hoped he'd been able to smell. Regardless of why or how, she couldn't be anything but glad that he had turned up when he did. 

As soon as she was home, she collapsed onto her bed without so much as bothering to take off her boots. 

When morning came, Fayelia felt almost just as exhausted as she had before getting to sleep. The thought of ignoring her duties and staying in bed to hibernate for a few years was incredibly tempting. But, that wasn't an option. A groan escaped her as she got out of bed; still fully dressed, though hardly in a manner fit to report to duty in. And so she changed out of the simple attire, washed her face and put on her leather armour. Fayelia was a rogue. She had always found that she was good at getting into places she shouldn't and retrieving items that were not hers. But not only that, her mastery of swords and daggers made her more than well equipped for direct combat too. She yawned as she brushed through her incredibly messy hair and pulled it up into a pony. Her hair was just below shoulder length and often kept down. But with how hot it was in Zandalar, she much preferred to keep it up. Doing so, however, revealed to her the bruising on the side of her neck which sent a chill down her spine. Instantly, she was thrown back into the events of the night before, of the troll and of the one who had stepped in. Nathanos. How would she ever be able to look him in the eye again after the state that he had seen her in? She doubted he cared at all, but that didn't make it any less difficult for her. 

Pulling out the tie that kept her hair up, she let her hair fall down onto her shoulders; concealing the marks well enough. She attempted to adjust her undershirt so it sat higher up on her neck as well , which helped some. At least the dagger at her throat hadn't done nearly as much damage as she thought it had. It looked just as though a small cat had caught her. After equipping her weapons minus the dagger that the troll had taken from her, she was out of the door and making her way down to the Banshee's' Wail. Though one would expect her to melt wearing leather armour that covered her head to toe in such a place, it was instead much more manageable. She happened to have befriended an Enchantress who had managed to fix up some minor enchantment that could keep her cool whilst wearing the armour. A feeling of dread grew in her stomach as the ship came into view, growing so it seemed as though that very sensation could eat her alive. But, she forced it down, having no other choice. When she stepped onto the ship, she expected the usual snarky remark from Nathanos about her being late or something along those lines, but they were absent. Instead, he simply waved her over with something that suspiciously looked like her missing dagger. 

"I believe this is yours?" The man had asked with a raised brow; extending the weapon out for her to take. Fayelia responded with a short nod as she took the blade, finding it difficult to even muster up the courage to thank him, let alone meet his cold gaze. That was hard enough as it was, with how he always seemed intent on burning a hole through one's skull with glares. The dagger she had been returned found its place back into the small sheath by her hip. Some might call it overkill to carry both daggers and swords,however she liked being prepared. 

What came next from the Blightcallers' mouth was not something she would have expected in a million years. 

"I do hope you are well enough to not disappoint on the mission today." The way he spoke had made it sound more like a question, than a statement. Fayelia bit back the urge to say something along the lines of 'what do you care?' but that was born out of habit. She was so used to the snark and insults that he dished out whenever he saw any of the Hordes' supposed champions that her brain apparently did not know how to respond when it was something different to that. So for a moment she was almost certain she had stared at him as though he had said something incredibly shocking, for her gave her a look. "Yes, of course I am." She hadn't noticed until now how she was fidgeting with the hilt of one of her swords. A nervous habit. 

This apparently did not go unnoticed by him for he sighed and practically rolled his eyes. "Put your nerves to rest. I do not care for what happened last night." Though with a tint of annoyance, he had lowered his voice so as to not be overheard. Again, he surprised her, for she never took him to be considerate whatsoever about anyone but himself and the Dark Lady. The fact that he seemed to recognise it being a topic that upset her, and at least cared enough to not talk about it openly was information that she didn't know what to do with. 

Another nod was Fayes' chosen response, before there was a pause, a quiet but deep breath, and then a verbal response. "Good.. Good. That's... Good." She didn't know what else to say. Normally she was filled with all kinds of insults she wanted to throw back at him (though of course she never did) but she just didn't seem to be able to bring herself to even  _ think _ insults. There was an uncomfortable silence, or at least, it was uncomfortable for her. She was certain he was glaring at her, but her gaze was stuck to a random part of the map upon the table. 

Then  _ finally  _ he decided to speak on the reason as to why she was there. The mission she was assigned to, and by the light she was glad for the change of topic. They were to head to Drustvar to recover some heros' remains. The change of weather and scenery was something she would be glad for, even if Drustvar was cold, cursed and downright creepy. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty long one. I couldn't decide if I wanted to split it into two chapters or not.
> 
> Again, I apologise for the definite errors there will be in this. ^^' I do all of this on my phone lmao.

Seated atop a barrel whilst the wind blew into the sails of the ship, Faye was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes upon. She had not slept well, or for a long time despite how quickly she'd fallen into it. A quiet sigh escaped the raven haired blood elf as she retreated below deck to get a light snack whilst they still had time. Sitting down at the table proved to be a mistake, for not long after she finished the hunk of bread she'd picked out, had she fallen asleep with her head almost in her plate. The seas were gentle that day, and so the rocking of the ship had done much to lull her into a sleep; guided by her exhaustion. 

As it seemed, nobody bothered to wake her, or perhaps she had simply been forgotten about until a while after they had already docked. Faye felt a hand on her shoulder and immediately shot up. Garona smirked at her. "I would hurry to that cemetery if I were you. Blightcaller won't be happy that you are late." 

Faye's golden eyes widened as she responded with a curt nod before she was sprinting up the steps onto the deck. The site that greeted her was dark, creepy and… Creepy. Did she mention creepy? The mere sight of the forests of Drustvar caused her to shudder. She had no time to waste though, if Nathanos was already expecting her at the cemetery. She swore and called upon her mount: A stormy grey nightsaber, not unlike the ones the Kaldorei rode. She had raised this feline since he was a kitten and the two had a strong bond. How she came into the possession of such an animal, she changed her story about every time. She cursed loudly as she got into the saddle and immediately set off into the thick forests; paranoia slamming her full force instantly. She _hated_ this place. And now she had to find the cemetery that her ass was supposed to be at already. Fortunately, Faye had been provided a map. 

"Oh Gods why this place?!" The elf hissed under her breath. It was cold but it didn't feel like a normal cold. It felt like the frigid temperature itself was watching her, and clung to her exposed skin like sticky webs. Actually, that was probably just actual spider webs. Much to her dismay, there were plenty of those hanging low. 

After what felt like forever to her, it seemed she found a cemetery, though whether it was the right one she had no clue about. It looked, much to her panic, empty. No sight of a grumpy dead ranger anywhere. 

"Nath-" 

Mid shout, she had shrieked and almost leapt out of her skin when the man practically materialised next to her. Neither her nor Fvahlki had even sensed his presence in the slightest. 

Immediately she shot him a glare that if it could, would most certainly have turned him to stone on the spot. She dismounted and told her mount to leave them. Though he would be useful in combat, Faye simply did not have the heart to ever want her companion to participate in such, and so always sent him away whenever she was on missions to keep him safe. 

Clearly the ranger was amused by her startled reaction, for the slight upturn in the corner of his mouth did not go unnoticed. It disappeared just as quickly as it had come, and then it was his turn to look annoyed and shoot her a deadly glare. 

"You were expected almost an hour ago, imbecile. What exactly have you-" 

"I fell asleep. Let's not waste any more time. Please tell me you did not wait around for me this entire time?" 

"You _what?"_ The look Nathanos gave her in response to the second part was enough to give her an answer. "I don't know why I put up with your inconsistencies." He snapped before making a curt motion for her to follow him. 

Though none would ever admit it, Fayeliel had become an essential part of Nathanos's team. Her work when it came to stealth missions was immaculate. Usually. Her skills in combat were nothing to be scoffed at either, though her talents mostly were in roguish activities. She knew that she had become a critical role, and knew she could get away with a tiny bit more than the other champions that had been enlisted. That wasn't to say she didn't take it all seriously. She did, very much so. Though it wasn't as if she could back out anyway. 

"Why exactly am I needed on this mission? Grave robbing?" 

Her answer was received in an impatient order telling her to shut up. A short pause and then-

Something had caught the pale moonlight for just a split second. A rifle? The rogues' gaze narrowed and though it seemed to happen slowed down, a human had aimed up a shot at Nathanos, who had been crouched down examining something. Faye had been quicker than the assassin however and in a split second, a shot had gone off, followed by another and then the sound of a bullet hitting stone. They hadn't seen her, but she had seen them. Had she been even a tiny bit slower in her reaction, it very likely the assassins' shot would have hit home. Whether or not it would have been fatal was something she was glad to have not found out. 

Nathanos had spun around with his bow drawn immediately, only to find the body of a human peeking out from a dark brush; rifle still in her hand. "We are in the open here! They won't have come alone. Take cover!" Came the barked orders of Blightcaller which Faye was more than happy to follow. 

"We're sitting ducks out here! That crypt over there. Think we can make it with the cover of a smoke bomb?" Her gaze frantically searched the trees in her line of site while she was ducked behind a large tombstone. The sudden noises had roused the dead from their sleep as the mists began to form ghastly apparitions. 

Gold met red for a brief moment as a silent agreement was made. They couldn't very well stay hiding behind that tombstone and so the choice had to be made. In an instant, Faye had provided the cover via smoke bomb that they needed to make a dash for the crypt. With no idea of how many were hidden by the shadow's embrace, they couldn't risk fighting head on. Whilst they were obscured by the smoke, they ran towards the crypt and successfully made it there. It was locked. Nathanos growled out a curse and instead broke the lock using the hilt of one of his axes. 

"Get in. Quickly!" He'd hissed as he practically shoved Faye inside before ducking in as well. Seconds before they had made it into the temporary safety of the crypt, had an arrow sunk itself right into Faye's shoulder. Adrenaline had kept her from crying out but as soon as she had been pushed inside with her stumbling into the hard stone wall, her hand had flown up to the sudden incredibly sharp pain. Fortunately with the padding of her armour, it had seemingly not gone too deep, meaning the option to yank it out was a viable one. And so not wanting to distract Nathanos from guarding the gate, that was exactly what she did. Breathing in deeply, her hand grasped around the shaft of the arrow;mentally and physically preparing herself to pull it free. They didn't have time to lose, and so she attempted her very best, which only resulted in a small tug before she cried out in pain. "We're fucked!" Faye hissed through tightly gritted teeth as she slammed her head against the stone wall behind her. 

Having heard her pained sound, Nathanos turned his attention away from the entrance briefly to look over at her. 

"Let me see that! " Even in a situation such as this, his tone didn't fail to sound as though he thought her incredibly pathetic and an overall nuisance. From the way he nonchalantly walked over to her; his fiery gaze focused on the arrow sticking out of Fayes' shoulder, it was obvious what he was about to do. Without word of warning, the Dark Ranger yanked the arrow free with no consideration for how roughly he did so. Her scream was muffled against the hand that was placed over her mouth that she had been so very close to biting. Instead of that though, she had just gripped his arm hard enough that to any normal skin, it would have been left with nasty bruises. Tears had sprung up into her eyes from the ordeal and she had to hold on to his arm tightly to keep herself from slumping down, which surprisingly, he allowed. At least until she momentarily recovered. 

"Quiet. They'll get cocky if they know you are injured." Nathanos tossed the bloodied arrow carelessly somewhere into the enveloping darkness of the crypt, seemingly unbothered about the brief closeness. Once she had recovered somewhat and no longer relied so heavily on him, he pulled away from her to take his position by the gate again. They had very little light, besides from the sliver of moonlight that crept through the entrance. His focus was once again on listening to the sounds outside, and keeping his gaze intently on the gate. Surely they would be coming any minute now. 

Still coming down from the adrenaline high of having the arrow yanked free of her shoulder, Fayeliel was making a simple task an incredibly difficult one. She forced a couple of deep breaths in an attempt at calming herself down enough so she could even search through her damn satchel without dropping everything. As soon as her fingertips brushed against the familiar glass of her crimson vial, she snatched it up and downed the contents as though she was on her deathbed. It wouldn't be enough to fully heal her, but enough to keep her from being a deadweight. A shudder sigh escaped her as the potion worked its quick effects. She cleared her throat before speaking. 

"Maybe there is a way out deeper in the crypt? We can't risk making another dash for it. I doubt that Kaldorei will miss again." Though that confidence she carried with her voice had returned; it was laced with the remnants of pain and adrenaline. 

"They could be calling reinforcements while waiting us out. We have no other option." For the time being, they were at a stalemate. Their opponents clearly didn't want to face them head on, and they obviously weren't going to go out to allow themselves to get sniped. Another smoke bomb would do no good. 

" I doubt this hell hole has any other way out. Put your damn talents to use and sneak out there. Cause a distraction, then I will use that to gain the upper hand." 

Fayeliel stared at Nathanos in disbelief. Not only did she now have an injured shoulder, but now he wanted her to stealth into the middle of all of them? 

" Did you miss the part where I got shot? Through the smoke bomb?" 

" Lucky shot. Now get out there before I push you out there myself." Nathanos had practically _snarled_ at her. Evidently, he was not in the mood for negotiating. 

"If I die, it's your fault and you do _not_ get permission to raise me. I'd rather come back and haunt you as an annoying spirit." Faye grumbled as she slipped into stealth; moving past Nathanos and purposefully brushing her uninjured shoulder into him rather rudely. Very carefully, she opened the gate the smallest amount possible whilst still allowing her to pass through. She wanted to make sure that the gate moving wasn't noticed by the attackers. With her heart pounding so hard and fast, it was near impossible to hear much else than that. That only worsened when she stepped out into the vulnerable openness of the cemetery. Somehow, she was without an arrow lodged in her forehead. But even out there, she could not see their assailants. For almost a minute did her golden eyes scan over the surrounding bushes as they searched for any Alliance. Only when something had made the slightest of movements, did she spot some sort of humanoid perched up in a tree. Upon closer inspection did she identify them as a Night elf, likely the one who had shot her. 

_Time to make a distraction_ … 

Her fingers lightly brushed against the last of her smoke bombs which was tucked into a small pouch upon her belt. Figuring that would do the trick, she crept closer to the tree elf and when she was close enough, set off the smoke bomb before quickly moving as far away as possible in case they tried to reveal her. 

Nathanos, it seemed, had been paying close attention for as soon as the night elf was distracted by the smoke bomb going off, he had struck. His aim was immaculate, as was to be expected. The elf fell down from the tree with a well placed arrow in his chest. That attack forced the other two in hiding to reveal themselves. The first was dealt with by a very pissed off Fayeliel that simply stabbed her through the abdomen with her uninjured arm. The other was dealt with effortlessly by Blightcaller who was entirely unfazed by the sticky situation they had been in. In fact he was rather pleased that it had had the outcome of four less Alliance soldiers. At this point though, the effects of Fayeliels' crimson vial was wearing off and the pain of her shoulder was back with a vengeance. It had been enough to pull her through that whole ordeal and fortunately they were in the clear, for now. 

The roaming spirits had begun wailing over even more lost lives. It was heartbreaking to hear the chorus of grief they held for the freshly fallen. At least, Faye thought so. Nathanos not so much. 

"Quit your wailing, you pests!" 

_Thunk_

That reduced the choir of grief by one, but now the others were being even louder. Nathanos very much looked like he wanted to sink an arrow into each and every one of them. 

From then on, the rest of the mission went by without any more Alliance interruptions. Nathanos was convinced they had gotten them all and so no reinforcements would be coming, nor would their presence at that cemetery be down, for they had gone through the efforts of disposing of the bodies.

Well into the ungodly hours of morning did they finally finish, and were headed back towards their ship together. Only because Faye had practically begged him, did Nathanos agree to ride with her there. She was beyond exhausted, in pain and incredibly paranoid. All of that would no doubt mean she would get lost somehow and either die by the hand of witches or spiders. 

They ride in pure silence with the both of them staying vigilant. They weren't out of the woods yet, both literally and figuratively. 

"You did well today, Champion."

Fayeliel practically choked. 

" _What?"_

Nathanos sighed in annoyance. "Just take the damn compliment. It will not happen again," His crimson gaze shifted over to her briefly. 

"Get that healed as soon as we return. You are useless like that." He ordered, immediately returning to his usual attitude of 'I hate you and I'm better than you'. 

Was that the closest to a thank you she would get? Were it not for her sharp eyes, it was very likely he would have been shot and light knows what would have happened then. Faye rubbed the bridge of her nose; huffing out a sigh. "

I'm glad you care." Her response had been more bitterly sarcastic than intentional but she left it at that.

The rest of the journey back to the Banshees' Wail was made in silence. Faye was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes from drooping and was having to fight with herself to not fall asleep on her mount. Though even if she did, Fvahlki was an intelligent feline who more than likely understood where they were headed, and knew to follow Nathanos. The only thing that kept her from allowing herself to actually fall asleep was paranoia and of course the fact that she did _not_ want to give Nathanos yet another thing to bully her about. 

\---------

"Does this thing really not have _any_ beds? At all?" Fayeliel looked just about ready to stab someone. Of course she knew the forsaken didn't sleep and also knew that this was a warship that didn't really have much need for such things. But she had rather hoped that for some divine blessing by the titans that a bed had magically appeared for her to sleep in. That wasn't unreasonable in the slightest, right? Needless to say, she was disappointed that that was not the case. Her shoulder was hurting, she was tired, cold and even had a headache at that point. The only thing she wanted was to pass out somewhere soft. Fortunately she did have a companion in the form of a giant, relatively soft cat that she had surprisingly been allowed to bring on that mission. And so, she nestled in with her cat who appeared equally as tired but for the simple reason it was a cat and loved sleeping. In the comfort of his warm, thick fur, she could almost ignore the hard wood of the deck that she was mostly on. Mostly. Within seconds, the light of her awake state was snuffed out; leaving just an exhausted but finally asleep elf. 

Her sleep was interrupted when she was rather rudely kicked in her side. Clearly not meant to hurt but just somewhat forcibly get her awake. 

"Piss off." Came the exhausted grumbled response as Faye who didn't even bother to open her eyes and instead just buy her face more in her companions' fur. Once again she was kicked in her side, this time a little harder. 

"Oh fuck y-" 

"Get up. Unless you would rather sleep here than your own bed."

Nathanos did not sound pleased by her ignorance, nor the way she had spoken to him. Of course, she hadn't known it was him for she hadn't bothered to even open her eyes. She was pretty damn sure she would have reacted the same way regardless, however. 

She sat up and immediately glared up at Nathanos who stood with his arms crossed, giving her a similar look. 

"You didn't have to _kick_ me!" Faye hissed as she stood up; her mount likewise beginning to get up. 

"Quit your whining and go to bed. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume you were one of us from how you look." 

_Really?_

Biting back a growl, Faye stomped over to him and as it seemed was feeling brave enough in her bitter, exhausted state to poke him pointedly in the chest.

" This is your fault!" It wasn't really. He'd sent her on the mission, yes, but he couldn't be blamed for her getting shot. That didn't stop her from putting the blame on him though. Continuing on her rant, her eyes lit up in an unreasonable fury.

"I may very well have saved your stupid life, the least you could do is not kick me awake. Not to mention you didn't even thank me! Then, after all of that, you also just send me out into the middle of everything after just having been shot!"I

n that moment, she clearly did not seem to care to remind herself who exactly she was ranting at, and quite aggressively making jabs at his chest to make her point. Nor did she care for the fact that her raised voice would more than likely be heard by the others in the ship. 

Nathanos grabbed the wrist of the hand she was jabbing him with rather tightly; glowering down at her. "You seem to forget that you are little more than a useful tool at my disposal, Fayeliel. Should I be thanking my bow every time it does its job?" The answer he had given her was one that had clearly stung, the look in her eyes said as much.

She snatched away her wrist out of his grasp." Fine. But your 'tool' needs her rest. So if you'll excuse me.. "

Light knows why, but being called a tool in such a manner had clearly upset her, and she wanted to leave before that was noticeable. Surely it was simply because she was exhausted, that the comment had gotten under her skin so. 

Just as she had made it past him, she was suddenly pulled back, thankfully by her uninjured shoulder. 

"What the fuck will it take for me to be allowed off this hellish boat?" Faye had immediately snapped; the tiniest fracture coming through in her voice. She'd barely even noticed the fact that her back was against the wood behind her. 

"Watch your tongue when speaking to me, _Champion_. I do not take kindly to back talking. Know your damn…place? " His voice had lowered with the intention of intimidating her. Before he had even finished, she had crumbled beneath him with a sob, leaving a relatively confused and almost concerned Nathanos, who was not used to such a display of emotion at all from his underlings. It had definitely not been the reaction he had expected in the slightest. 

"Please, just let me sleep. I'm exhausted, hurt and I just want to leave. The mission is over, we're back in Zuldazar. I want to sleep." Tired Faye did not have any qualms about letting everything go in front of even Nathanos. She looked like the living definition of a mess. Her freshly sprung tears hard carved a path through the blood and grime on her face, her hair was knotted, messy and the circles under her eyes really did give almost the illusion of her being an undead. Then there was the damage to her armour from where the arrow had struck through, leaving it a bloodied mess. Over all, she was just not having a good time. 

" _What_ is the matter with you?" 

Whether or not the Dark Ranger felt any sort of guilt at all was impossible to tell, though he had sounded more like he was confused than trying to insult her. But it was quite clear that he did not understand why or how she had gone from almost shouting at him to now crying and practically begging him to let her leave. 

He was surely asking himself the question of why he put up with her, and why the hell women could be so God damn confusing. Even Sylvanas had had her displays of emotional outbursts in the past and made split second decisions based on that. 

"Can I just please leave and get to bed?" Faye was fighting with herself to calm down and was doing a good job of it. Up until the point where Nathanos had simply replied with a 'No.'

About ready to slap him, she stopped just as she had raised her hand, as he continued. 

" No, you are coming with me to a healer. You are embarrassing yourself like this, and I will _not_ allow representatives of the Horde to make fools of themselves. " For a brief moment, he had a debate with himself over whether or not to do something. There was slight hesitation before he then carefully wiped away the tears from her face with his gloved, but cold hand. A sigh followed that. The action surprised Faye, but she didn't say anything and just allowed a quiet sigh to escape her in acceptance. Though she had not wanted to go through the effort of finding a healer until the morning, the decision had been made for her, and by her commander nonetheless. So, she could not exactly tell him no. Well she could, but it was very likely he would drag her there if he had to. 

When Nathanos had let her go and made his exit, Faye had taken a brief moment to smooth down her hair and wipe her eyes again before she followed him out. She ended up receiving quite a look from one of the guards stationed on the ship which immediately caused her to feel an ashamed heat rising in her cheeks and ears. She wondered just how much they had heard. Nathanos waited for her to catch up to him before he started walking again. By this time, it was early morning and so the people of Zuldazar were beginning to wake. It wasn't long before they had found a healer that was awake and willing to help. Faye noticed the look that the priest had given Nathanos. She seemed surprised by the fact that he had personally escorted Faye there, which she had every right to be. He wasn't, after all, someone who gave a single fuck when someone on their side was injured. Not even other champions who worked with him too.

"Arrow wound in the shoulder. Do hurry up. I have other business to attend to." He had said in an impatient manner; his voice laced with irritation. 

"Right, right of course." The elf smiled politely up at him and then rushed over to Faye to tend to her. "By the light you look horrible, dear." The priestess cooed as she sat her down. She helped Faye out of the armour on her torso, so the healing would be finished quicker without it in the way. Her gentle gaze fell upon the marks on her neck that poked out from underneath the shirt she wore. Her eyes had widened a bit as her gaze briefly flickered up to Nathanos who was practically scowling at her. The priest cleared her throat and began the careful healing of Fayes' shoulder.

"Thank you, priestess." She muttered tiredly, feeling a wash of relaxation as the magic worked upon her shoulder and spread a very welcome feeling of warmth through it. Within less than a minute, Fayes' shoulder was fully healed once again, much to her relief. Again, the rogue thanked her for the help as she rose onto her feet, picking up her torso armour to carry along with her. Though her shoulder was healed and no longer ran the risk of becoming infected by the morning, she was still exhausted. 

"You didn't have to escort me, you know." Fayeliel had muttered as they walked out of earshot from the Priestess again. 

"Clearly I do. You have already proven yourself to be vulnerable, even here. In this state, I'd be lucky if I didn't find that you had tripped and impaled yourself on your own sword." Nathanos eyed her up and down with his fiery gaze and then made a motion with his hand for her to keep moving."

I'll make sure you don't make yourself even more of an embarrassment." 

Faye bit back a huff and started in the direction of the small room she could call home, feeling incredibly strange about the fact that Nathanos was escorting her there. Perhaps she had managed to make him feel even a little guilty, and this was his way of dealing with it. Though it was such a minor thing were it anyone other than Nathanos, it felt huge to her. It was something she wasn't sure what to think of. She thought back to when he had even gone as far as to wipe away her tears. Perhaps said Dark Ranger had more to him than just hatred for everyone. The walk to her 'home' was short and quiet, but she found herself appreciating his company nonetheless. When they had arrived and she stood in front of the door, Faye paused and turned to face the ranger who was already in the process of leaving. 

"Nathanos?" The man paused for a brief moment to look at her; his gaze searching hers.

The way his irritated gaze looked at her almost made her stumble over her words.

"Thank you…" She paused and briefly glanced around to see if there was anyone else nearby before she walked up to him. 

"I uh, I appreciate you bothering to make sure I made it here in one piece. I guess I forgive you for kicking me." She cracked a small smile directed up at him. Had this been anyone else, this was the part where she would have gone in for a hug. In fact, she had almost done so before very pointedly reminding herself that Nathanos was way, waay off hugging limits. She was just being stupid and tired, not thinking straight. But for just the briefest of moments, there had flashed something in his glowing eyes that she couldn't place. It had disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived and with a curt nod, he had walked away. 

\-----

The next day when she had gone down to report for duty, she was met with quite the look from Nathanos. An irritated glare mixed with something else she wasn't sure of. Asides from his usual angry scowl, she found it hard to read his... emotions. 

"Comma-" 

He'd cut her off almost immediately with a gesture of his hand that told her to stop talking. 

"You are not needed today. Go make yourself useful elsewhere or catch up on that precious sleep of yours." 

Fayeliel's brow furrowed together into a frown of confusion. "But yesterday you said-" 

"Enough. Must I repeat myself, _Champion?"_

Her frown deepened but she left it at that. If she had nothing to do there, she supposed she would spend her time trying to befriend the people of Zandalar with meaningless tasks. She turned and left in quite the bitter fashion. If Nathanos didn't want her on whatever mission that was on the table that day, so be it. She would just go and help baby turtles into the water. It wasn't like she had anything better to do. Really, she didn't understand why on Azeroth the tortollon insisted on breaking the cycle of life by shooting the birds down with magic scrolls. In her eyes, that was just life. Not all of them were supposed to survive. She didn't even _want_ to help but at that moment she couldn't find anyone else who had work for her. 

By the end of the day, she had gotten herself a small lump of change as the rewards from the various petty jobs she had done. With still a couple of hours left before she would be jotting the hay, Fayeliel made the decision to spend some of her 'hard earned' gold on stocking up on various roguish items. And of course, some concoction of alcohol that the Zandalari seemed particularly fond of, both of which she acquired in a tavern. Feeling brave, she had taken a large gulp of it and was immediately met with what felt like her spirit living her body, causing a coughing fit as it burned down her throat. She overheard the cackles of whoever had been witness to her foolishness and pushed away the bottle as though it were poison. 

" _What_ is in that?!" Her voice sounded strained as though she were holding back another coughing fit, which wouldn't be an unfair assumption. 

"Ay elfie, I tink it be best if you don't be knowin' de answer to dat. Blightcaller don't be around anywhere, right mon? "

_That voice…_

Faye was on her feet in an instant and had with the element of surprise on her side, thrown the familiar Zandalari backwards into a wall; now with her dagger at his throat. 

" You are lucky I haven't killed you already! " She hissed as her ears went back, giving her very much the semblance of a pissed off feline. Somewhere in the back of the room, someone told them to take it outside, most likely the innkeeper. 

"Hey hey hey, elfie! No need for dat. I learnt me lesson. I wasn't plannin' anyting!" 

His defence was ignored completely by the rogue. In fact, she only increased the pressure of the blade upon his throat. 

"You horde mon can't take any jokes!" 

All of a sudden she was yanked back by her hair and was face to face with an angry female Zandalari; her dagger clattering onto a table as she lost her grip. 

"Do _not_ lay a single finger on my man, knife ear." The woman spat as she aggressively yanked her closer.. 

"Then tell your man not to do the same! " Faye grabbed the tankard that was closest to her and splashed it in the face of the troll. It seemed to get in her eyes for she let go of her immediately and brought her hands up to wipe the liquid away from her face. She used that brief moment to slide over the top of a table to get away from the woman who swung wildly at her, grabbing her dagger as she made her escape. That was, until she was grabbed forcibly by a troll dressed in the usual guard attire.

"You are welcomed into our city, and den you 'ave the nerve to assault our people? _Shame_ on you and your Horde!" 

Faye froze when something cold was suddenly dumped over her head. She was almost certain it was the woman she had done the same to. Had there not been a guard with their weapon out in front of her, she would definitely have spun around and threatened them with her sword. 

"You be workin' for Blightcaller, yes? We will see how pleased he is when 'e sees how de speaker of his horde be behavin'. Move." The guard shoved her forward. 

At this point, she wanted nothing more than to scream out all of the curses she knew in both Orcish and Thalassian. Instead, she kept her rage in check though one look at her would give away the fact that it was close to boiling over. How utterly humiliating. A walk of shame to her commander all the while covered in cold, sticky whatever the hell liquid. She could only pray that they had not yet returned from their mission. Unfortunately, luck was not on her side. The Banshee's Wail soon came into view and once they were close, the guard decided to announce their arrival. 

"Blightcaller, I believe dis one be yours?" 

She heard him before he even came into her line of sight. 

"What is the meaning of this?" Nathanos snapped as he shot Faye something close to a death glare. He stopped in front of them and wrinkled his nose in disgust, likely from the smell of whatever had been dumped on her. 

_Oh fuck._

"Your little champion here was startin' a bar fight against two of our highly upstandin' citizens." 

Faye didn't stop the audible snort of disbelief from escaping her, which just earnt negative looks from both Nathanos and the Guard. 

"I figured you'd be wantin' to know dat your representative was misbehavin'. Dere will be no charges dis time around. I leave her to you." With that, the female guard left no doubt feeling satisfied with herself. 

Immediately, Nathanos turned his full attention and wrath into poor Faye. 

" When I told you to make yourself useful elsewhere, I did not intend for you to make a complete fool of not just yourself, but the Horde aswell! Need I remind you that these are the very people we need to assist us in this war? Starting _bar fights_ against respected people in their community is definitely _not_ how to earn their favour. Explain yourself!" His gaze seemed all the more hateful with the intensity of the fiery glow in his eyes increasing as he spoke. 

She had to force herself to not flinch at the almost murderous look in his eyes and the tone of his voice. She sucked in a deep breath to keep her composure." They were _not_ upstanding citizens in the slightest. The troll who tried to have his way with me approached me in the tavern. Do you expect me to not react aggressively to that?! Then his wife or whatever yanked me by my hair and wouldn't let go so I threw a tankard at her. The guard stopped it all before it went any further. _None_ of this is my fault! If that-"

" _Enough!_ Get out of my sight. " Without waiting for an answer, Nathanos had already turned his back to her and returned to the ship, without sparing her even a glare. Halfway into it, he'd paused briefly. "You smell disgusting. I expect that armour of yours to be cleaned before you dare report tomorrow." 

For a moment, Faye was just rooted in that spot, as she watched him leave in disbelief, frustration and anger. Covered head to toe in something that clearly smelled vile with her hair clinging uncomfortably to her face, anyone would feel second hand embarrassment from just looking at her. Obviously she was going to wash herself and the armour. Why had he even felt the need to say that? It wasn't like she would just ignore the horribly sticky feeling and go about her days as usual without washing it. Did he really think that lowly of her, that she needed to be told when to clean herself? 

She didn't wait around to potentially have more fire thrown at her and just made the stiff walk back home, where she would most definitely be cleaning up. And, that was exactly what she did, before retreating into the comforts of her bed. 


	3. Chapter 3

The mission was simple. Sneak into the encampment and steal back their troops. A stealth mission. 

During an assault launched onto one of the smaller encampments in Tiragarde, their troops had been overrun. In favour of wanting to get valuable information out of them, the Alliance had chosen to hold them hostage instead. 

Nathanos, as Faye had come to learn, was not happy about the fact that the assault had failed. So when he had suggested that they go retrieve the captured troops, she had been surprised. It would not have been out of character for him to just leave them to their eventual demise, especially so with how they had indeed failed their mission. 

Now it was up to her, Nathanos and a close friend of Faye's. The nightborne mage was quite unlike a lot of the others of her kind. She seemed to thrive in the new environment that the Horde provided and was often seen participating in drinking games with the trolls of Zandalar, aiding her tolerance with her magics. She was also quite the illusionist. 

The strike team was purposefully small in number, for it was easier to slip by undetected that way. They had already discussed the plan. 

Shiadrih would throw on a disguise created by her magics and distract whatever guards were around whilst Faye was to steal their troops back from right under their noses, and also provide someone for the mage to steal the image of. Nathanos would be staying hidden, but ready to aid them when/if things head south. 

In theory, it seemed to be a simple plan, and all three were more than capable of pulling something like that off. 

So, there they were, having just arrived in Tiragarde. Under the blanket of the night's gentle embrace, they would make their move. 

"I trust neither of you are stupid enough to have forgotten the plan of action?" Nathanos's cold gaze flickered between the two. 

Faye gave her answer in the form of an unamused glare, whilst Shiadrih politely smiled and responded enthusiastically. 

"Of course not, Commander. We will not let you down. You can rely on us. " 

The dark ranger responded with a huff and then motioned for them to move.

Already had they made it most of the way to the encampment and with the moon on her slow way to rest for the day, it was the perfect time to strike. They had watched the activity of the camp for a while, to ensure they had an accurate number of just how many were crawling about in there. Twenty two was the rough guess. Some were obviously asleep but there were five awake at that time, two of them sat around a fire whilst the other had various posts within the encampment.

Then, it was time. 

Faye parted away from the group some ways, though still remained in sight so she could keep an eye out on her companions. This was when she felt her nerves begin to kick in. It didn't help in the slightest that she could feel Nathanos's gaze burning a hole in the back of her head. She could've sworn she heard him mutter something about her not fucking it up. This had to be done quickly, before any of the guards noticed one of their companions missing. So, she slipped into the shadows; aided by her use of stealth and began to creep around the edges as she tried to spot a potential target. 

Well that was almost too good to be true. Eavesdropping on a pair of chattering guards, she was certain one had mentioned needing to go relieve himself. Her common was rusty in some areas, but she knew it well enough. After all, what good would a rogue be if they could not eavesdrop on their enemies. She listened intently as she hid behind a stack of crates, well out of sight range. Then, the sound of approaching footsteps. 

The guard was quietly humming to himself as he wandered directly past Faye and to the relative privacy of a duo of trees. 

_Perfect._

She quickly dripped a vile concoction onto a cloth, which would serve as her way of quietly subduing the guard. Before making her move, she cast a glance over her shoulder to ensure nobody was looking their way. The coast appeared clear and so she struck quickly. Three wide but swift steps and she had cleared the gap between herself and her prey. Immediately her hand that held the cloth was slapped over the man's mouth and before he could even mutter a single word, he slumped down against her. She'd been taken off guard by the weight of him, which had caused her to almost drop him. With the armour he wore, that would certainly have caused a lot of noise. 

Faye grabbed one of the man's arms and began to drag him as quietly as possible, but found it to be an incredibly difficult task. She managed to pull him out of sight before she gave up; glaring angrily down at the poor unconscious guard. Fortunately, the encampment had a sorry excuse for a wall built around it which hid them from sight. It wouldn't do much in the ways of defense, though at least it provided cover. Faye decided she shouldn't waste any time in trying to move him any further and so was about to go back for help. Suddenly the quiet sound of someone shuffling behind her caused her to spin around with her dagger drawn.

Apparently her Commander had noticed her struggling and taken it upon himself to step in. Faye would never not be amazed at the level of skill in stealth that the dark rangers possessed. Once again, he had snuck up on her, a rogue, without her knowledge at all. 

Nathanos frowned at her and pressed a finger on his lip to shush her before he knelt down by the guard and carefully picked him up as to not cause the armour to clink. They couldn't risk Shiadrih's magic being noticed by anyone inside the camp, which was why they had to drag the guard away before being able to move forward with the next part of the plan. 

They made it back to Shiadrih without alerting any of their enemies which meant the next part could be set in motion. 

"This will only take a moment…"

Muttered the mage as she knelt down next to the unconscious human. A very faint glowing spiral wrapped around herself before it connected her to the guard. Her eyes were closed in concentration as her lips moved, though no audible words were spoken. Then, the nightborne was briefly covered in a gentle shimmer before she took on the form of the guard, armour and all.

"Walk in from that gap over there so it doesn't look suspicious that he all of a sudden returned from an entirely different part of the camp. I don't know how you plan on distracting the other guards, but good luck. Please, be saf-" 

"Enough prattle. Get a move on. And do try not to get yourselves killed."

Faye made a face at Nathanos once he turned his back to them to take his perch up on a nearby hill that would give him the best visibility without being noticeable. Once Shiadrih began to leave, Faye began to move over in the direction where their troops were being kept in cages. She heard the telltale loud sound of either an orc or tauren snoring. Apparently they had made themselves comfortable enough to sleep. She bit back the urge to roll her eyes. From a small gap in the temporary wall that had been build, her sharp gaze kept watch of the small amount of enemy activity in the camp. Then, Shiadrih came into view. Not a single strange look was cast her way. The plan had worked. From where she was, she couldn't tell what was being said but her companion said something which clearly startled the other guards in the camp. All of them but one asides from Shiadrih rushed onto their feet and hurried out in the same direction. Shiadrih must have said something to make sure the sleeping guards wouldn't be woken. The last patrol guard wouldn't be an issue as he seemed to be both rather drunk, and not interested in keeping an eye on the cages at all. Now, Faye had to make her move. 

With lock picks in hand, she snuck around to the cages where the troops understood to stay quiet, for none of them spoke up. They just had a look of hope and gratitude on their faces. Faye had only managed to start the process of unlocking one of the five large cages before she saw the look of alarm on a young trolls' face. A split second later, something sharp was pressed in between her shoulder blades. Her hand had immediately reached down for her dagger, only to have the weapon pressed harder against her. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, _elf_." 

There was a turmoil of panic racing inside of Fayeliel in that moment. What was going on? Why had nobody alerted her, and how had he managed the sneak up on her? Slowly, she held up her hands to show she had nothing in them apart from the lock pick which she promptly dropped onto the floor. 

"Let's not be hasty…" Faye replied in common as she began to turn around so she could at the very least face her attacker. She wasn't given the option to do that for she was immediately kicked in the back of her leg, causing her to fall onto her knees with a hiss. Surely any second, an arrow would find itself buried in her attacker's head. Surely Nathanos wouldn't just let this happen. Her wrists were suddenly forced painfully behind her back as some sort of rope was pulled around them. For a split second, the sound of something whistling through the air could be heard before something struck the man behind her. 

_Thud_

That was when she felt the warm splatter of blood on the back of her head and in her hair. She shot up and quickly made sure the drunken guard hadn't heard any of that. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sorry excuse of patrol they had there. The man was completely oblivious. She took a brief second to look at what had been her attacker. Clearly a rogue from how he was dressed. Perhaps one of the Alliances' champions? She didn't care for who it was. All she knew was that she was glad Nathanos's shot was true. Not wanting to waste any time or risk being discovered, she immediately set to work on the cage locks. 

"Quickly, leave through that gap over there. _Don't_ let them see you." 

Faye ordered quietly as she moved into the next cage. The troops didn't hesitate to follow her directions and collectively began to sneak their way out of the camp. When she was on the last cage, a voice called out from some place further back in the camp. 

"The Horde are here! To arms!" 

_"Oh fuck."_

Faye swore loudly and finished up on the final lock, releasing the final three prisoners before drawing her swords. 

"Take whatever arms you can get! You will have to fight for your lives." 

With that, chaos erupted as the sleeping guards rose onto their feet and were battle ready within seconds. As it was, they were outnumbered thirteen to twenty two. The five other prisoners had returned once the battle had begun. Of course, they had Nathanos on their side, along with a skilled mage, so Faye was feeling confident. The horde prisoners scrambled to get whatever weapons they could find and fight for their freedom. 

There was a brilliant crackling flash of arcane as a rain of magic struck down three of the Alliance. Faye wasn't sure when he had arrived, but she suddenly found herself fighting alongside Nathanos against the swordsmen. She had been caught in the middle of the fray, having been exposed by the cages. Either it was coincidence that he just so happened to have carved his way through and ended up at her side , or he had consciously decided to directly assist her. The second option would at mean he held some sort of value for her, something which she very much doubted was the case. In that moment though, she had much more pressing things to be focusing on. Narrowly did she avoid a swipe at her face by a woman in front of her. The move left her open to Faye's attack though, and her sword pierced the underside of her chin. 

An explosion of flame erupted within a hut to her close left; the heat blast forcing her back as she shielded her eyes from the intense heat. Her recovery was a little too slow, for an Alliance soldier took the opportunity to make a wild slash at her midriff. Had she not been quick to step back, it would have quite possibly done fatal damage. The fact that she had, however, didn't stop the slash completely. It had sliced through her armour and into her flesh underneath. 

The injury caused Faye to drop one of her swords to clutch at the wound from which blood was already seeping through. 

"Idiot!" She heard the snarl of Nathanos as he spun around and took down her attacker with his axe; covering her in just yet another splatter of blood. It was perfectly timed, for if he had not stepped in, Faye very much doubted she would've been able to fend off the attack. 

An arcane blast zipped through the air and struck two soldiers that had been advancing on the two. Though her injury was very much hindering her ability, she managed to take down two other soldiers before the Horde claimed victory over that battle. They had lost three good troops in that fight, but had come out with ten surviving. 

Covered in blood, soot and ash, Faye was absolutely very much not having a good time. A sharp feeling of nausea had started working through her, paired with some light drowsiness, but she sought to ignore it. 

"Next time the lot of you fail me, I will _not_ be coming to save you. You'd better make it a point not to repeat your mistakes. Burn the rest of this encampment and return to Freehold. We will be leaving for Zandalar before the sun rises." Nathanos barked a couple of additional orders to specific troops before he stalked over to Faye. 

Shiadrih had already rushed over to her companion as she too had been witness to the attack. The nightborne didn't look particularly well, though it was hidden beneath her concern for her friend. 

"Just what were you doing so close to a storage building in the middle of combat? The chances of that _not_ exploding in your face is higher than it doing the opposite." Nathanos sounded more annoyed than concerned about her injury, though that was to be expected. 

" I wasn't paying attention to the contents of the building! I was more focused on trying to save our companions. There wasn't exactly time for me to retreat to a better position." 

Faye grumbled as she sheathed her sword; still clutching the bleeding wound. Where her other sword was she had no clue. The entire encampment was a mess. 

By then, the adrenaline had worn off which meant the sharp pain was kicking in full force. Despite it not being a particularly threatening wound, it didn't make it any less painful for her. She was cursing whatever titans or gods up there that had decided she should get injured twice in a row on her missions. It was hardly fair. 

Nathanos just sighed irritably as he swung his bow over his shoulder and then rather impatiently moved her hand aside from the wound. Without much consideration, he briefly felt around on the injury, likely to gauge the seriousness of it. That resulted in Faye slapping his hand away immediately as she hissed out in pain. 

"You'll live." He narrowed fiery gaze at her when she slapped his hand away, but decided to just leave it at that. 

"How about you _don't_ do that? I thank you for the concern, but I'm absolutely fine. I'd much rather have a healer be prodding around on it. I can last fine until we're back in Freehold."

Faye snapped as she placed her own hand over it again in a defensive manner, practically glaring daggers at the man. 

"I'll bandage you up and stop the bleeding until we can both get healed up...Surely the Alliance have those laying around somewhere." 

Shiadrih chimed in as she placed a gentle hand upon Fayes' shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. The nightborne looked positively exhausted and likewise had a covering of soot on her face. Only then did Fayeliel notice the deep bloodied slash upon Shiadrih's shoulder. Still, her condition didn't stop her from smiling at Faye and motioning for her to follow her over to a still intact bench. Unsurprisingly, Nathanos appeared to be amongst the only ones who made it out of the battle unscathed. 

Once the two elves had helped one another bandage up, they were ready to head on back to Freehold and then onto the ship. They had to get away from the remains of the camp as soon as possible so they would be gone by the time the smoke was noticed by others in the area. Another smaller ship was already awaiting the arrival of the rescued soldiers. Somewhere along the way did Faye begin to feel somewhat guilty about her reaction to Nathanos showing some concern for her wound, if only it was born out of not wanting her to be 'useless' should they encounter more troubles. She realised then that he had effectively saved her hide twice in that whole ordeal. Once when the rogue had caught her, and then once again when the guard had gone in for the killing blow whilst she was distracted by her new wound. And, she had not thanked him for that. Rather hypocritical of her, considering she had gone off on a rant about him not thanking her when she had also potentially saved him back in Drustvar. She doubted the he of all people cared in the slightest about being thanked for such things though. That didn't stop the pangs of guilt from reminding her though. She made it a point to address that once they were back in the ship. Nathanos had gone off to do whatever Nathanos did before they were to leave, so she couldn't speak to him yet. 

Soon enough, they were back on the Wail and were now just awaiting Nathanos's return so they could head on back home. 

"You know Faye, if I'm not mistaken, it almost seemed like Blightcaller was a tiny bit concerned when you got struck." 

Faye sighed and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm pretty sure he just doesn't want to lose any more of his 'tools.' As we all know, every loss within our ranks will be felt." She gingerly reached down to feel at her wound for a reason she wasn't entirely sure of. Had she expected the pain to have magically disappeared in the hour they had been out of battle? Of course it stung when she prodded at it, and thus she had quickly retracted her hand again. 

"Of course, but it really did seem like he was making an effort to keep you from getting overwhelmed in there. I can't say he did the same for the troops we rescued." Shiadrih answered back thoughtfully as she gazed out at the ocean, her glowing eyes shifting to meet with Faye's who was frowning at her. 

"You're looking into it too much, Rih. I'm just more useful to him directly than the troops." 

The familiar sound of heavy footsteps upon the wood of the docks drew their attention away from the conversation they were having.

"Oh finally. Look who's late now?" Faye quipped at the Dark Ranger who just gave her a look that told her not to push it. She couldn't help the smirk that tugged at the corner of her mouth, but she had managed to keep it in check until he was no longer looking their way. 

With his return onto the ship, Tattersail barked the orders to the crew that signified the beginning of their return journey home. 

When Faye got bored of sitting around, she decided to go up to Nathanos and thank him for saving her skin multiple times that day, since her hypocritical behaviour was really making her feel rather guilty. It shouldn't really bother her, since Nathanos was probably the last person on Azeroth who gave a single fuck about such things, but it did. He was stood up by the command table, scribbling away at a piece of parchment; likely a report of their relative success of the day. 

" _What?"_ Without even bothering to look up at her, he'd spoken without pausing in his writing. 

Why did it suddenly feel so awkward to do such a simple thing as thanking someone? Faye cleared her throat and took a somewhat deep breath before speaking. 

"I just came to let you know that I appreciate you saving my skin. Twice." Her hand was doing that thing again. Tapping on the hilt of her remaining sword in nervous habit. 

Apparently she had succeeded in getting his attention, for he placed down the quill and looked at her. It seemed he couldn't decide whether or not to give her his usual glare, so it was somewhere in between. He either didn't care for words of gratitude as she suspected, or he just didn't know how to react to such things. She wasn't completely sure which of those it was. 

"Perhaps if you paid attention, I wouldn't have to." There was a brief pause where Faye just frowned at his answer. 

"Nonetheless, the both of you performed as expected. I cannot say I regret the outcome, as it meant putting down more Alliance dogs. Now leave me, I have work to do." 

Faye did as told and left him to finish up on whatever he was writing up. She _had_ thanked him now, although not directly in those words. Clearly he understood though, and of course he had to respond with some snark. She had expected as much. However she was rather pleased to hear that both she and Shiadrih had apparently lived up to his expectations of them. It had technically gone well, surely meaning he thought well of their abilities. It was exceptionally hard to please the Blightcaller, so she would take any small victories when she could. 

When eventually they had made their return to Zandalar, those that were injured were quickly aided by the healers who had stayed awake in preparation for their return. Faye watched from a distance as an orc woman dropped the basket of goods she had held and charged in to a loving embrace with one of the returning troops. It brought a bittersweet smile onto her face. The alliance soldiers slain that day most certainly also had families and loved ones who would have been eagerly awaiting their return. Faye shook her head to push those depressive thoughts out. There was no place for such in a time of war.

She could hold no sympathy for the enemy. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't too sure about this chapter but here it is! Again I apologise for grammar/formatting errors. Rather difficult to do all this on my phone lmao  
> Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

After the 'stealth' mission with Nathanos, Faye had not had any more work on that side of things. By then, a week had passed where she had made herself busy assisting where she could both in and outside of Zandalar. She could definitely feel a strong want for being sent away on some sort of mission. Anything that could give her a change of scenery from all the… Trolls and overgrown reptiles. 

When Shiadrih had been called onto a mission but not her, Faye had been rather vocal about the fact that she too, wanted more missions. Or well, she had been vocal about that to Shiadrih when she had returned almost two days later. 

Though she knew that her set of skills weren't applicable in every needed mission, she was almost going crazy from being cooped up in Zandalar. The only respite she'd had was a day trip down to Vol'dun which no surprise, had reptiles in the form of angry people. 

That night, the two elven companions decided to have some time to themselves and just relax. Something along the lines of a sleepover, though Faye would never admit it to being such despite it basically being exactly that. Sometimes, even during the middle of a war, just enjoying the company of loved ones was all that was needed. 

"I'm going insane from being stuck here, Rih…" Came Faye's voice which was muffled by the pillow her face was smushed into. For whatever reason, the rogue had decided to make herself comfortable by halfway hanging off one of the low love seats with her torso dangling off of it and her face in a pillow upon the floor. She heard her friend make a quiet huff of amusement. 

"It's not funny!" She propped herself up onto her elbows so her face was no longer in the incredibly soft pillow. It was no lie that she could see herself 'borrowing' it from the Nightborne. 

"No no, of course not. Except it is rather amusing. I would've expected you to be excited about working in new lands." 

"I was for the first two days until I realised that trolls and me just don't get along. And also, the excessive amount of reptiles. And turtle people. I miss Dalaran. That was at least a place that I could handle being cooped up in. This place? Not so much. " Faye huffed in a dramatic manner as she turned so she was facing the ceiling whilst reaching for her glass of wine. When she went to bring the glass to her lips, she ended up spilling it on herself. It turned out that drinking whilst somewhat upside down was harder than she thought. It really wasn't a place she was used to, and likely never would reach that point. She could use the excuse that it was because she was a Blood elf, but it was most definitely just her own sensitivities. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that despite the snarky comments from both, that she enjoyed working alongside Nathanos. Definitely not. And it also certainly had nothing to do with how she had gotten a glimpse into a softer side of the dark ranger, which made her curious and wanting to know more. She would however acknowledge the fact that she  _ did _ work well with him. 

For a moment the ebony haired rogue was silent as she stared at the wineglass that had vomited all over her. And then, a long drawn out sigh as she put the now almost empty glass onto the floor. 

"Oh." Shiadrih had looked up from the book in her hands when she had heard Faye sigh in complete and utter disappointment in herself. The evidence of the spillage was strikingly obvious against the white of her blouse. 

The mage tutted and then with barely a twirl of her finger, the stain lifted itself out of the shirt and shimmered out of existence. 

"You really are being bothered about being stuck here? The Faye I know would've tossed that glass into the nearest wall and probably shouted at it." Though laced with amusement, Shiadrih did seem a little concerned for the blood elf. She placed her book down and then sat cross legged down on the floor next to Faye who gave her a weird look. 

" Why are you sitting on the floor?"

Shiadrih returned the look and gestured to Faye. "Why are you hanging upside down from my sofa?" 

Faye huffed and rolled her eyes, though a small smile tugged upon her lips. "I'm rather tempted to go down to the Wail and pester Nathanos until he gives me away to the Alliance just to get rid of me. At least I can stand their cities, and I'm sure their prisons don't have giant reptiles, in which case, I'd jump at the chance." She absentmindedly wiggled her toes as she stared up at the ceiling in thought. That could potentially be fun. Getting captured and then having to escape before she was left at the mercy of whatever torturer they had that'd be wanting vital information. Her brows knitted together in a disturbed frown. Was she really getting so fed up with Zandalar already, that she was romanticising the idea of getting captured and having to escape? 

"Over these last couple of weeks, I've noticed you talking more about Blightcaller than out of just mission relevance. I wonder why that is?" Shiadrih asked with a teasing smirk curving into her subtly painted lips as she wiggled her pale eyebrows. 

Even hanging off of a sofa upside down with her hair being a mess, Faye still managed to shoot her companion a threatening and almost convincing glare."Don't you even  _ go _ there, Rih!" She moved to sit properly as the blood going into her head had caused the beginnings of a headache to be complaining at her. Finishing off the small amount of wine leftover from the spillage, she continued her death glare upon the mage." I have just had more missions working alongside him, that's all." That wasn't exactly true, but it was the first excuse that popped into her head. The idea Shiadrih was suggesting was absurd. Not only was Nathanos dead, he clearly hated everyone. Well, everyone except Sylvanas, of course. 

Shiadrih got a theatrically distant look on her face as she clutched at her heart. "I can just imagine it. The two of you would make the perfect grumpy pair! Taking out Alli-" 

_ Whack _

It turns out that Faye's new favourite and incredibly comfortable pillow also made for a good weapon. Shiadrih gasped dramatically in disbelief, as though a scandalous crime had just been committed. 

" That's it. I will go report you to our Commander and let him know you're misbehaving. That seems to be a trend that happens. Like with the bar fight." Shiadrih joked as she swatted at Faye with a bit of piece of cloth, using probably the least amount of effort as humanly possible. She seemed to very purposefully make sure it ended up draping over the rogue's head. 

" Oh please do. Maybe he has forgotten of my existence and that's why he hasn't sent word for me to work. " Faye grabbed the long red cloth that resembled some type of sash and inspected it for a brief moment. At first glance it appeared to just be a plain piece of long fabric. But as Faye's gaze scanned over it, she noticed the tiny little detailing engraved with a darker red that decorated the entire thing. That was also when she noticed how certain parts of a design upon it reflected bits of the candle light in the room. The design seemed almost invisible until light was caught upon it. The rogue was almost mesmerised by how beautiful a sash like that could be, when one noticed all the work that had clearly gone into it. For a few seconds, she was just tiling and shifting the fabric to see more of the hidden but incredibly complex design. It very much reminded her of how the tattoos many Nightborne had behaved. 

"That's for you. I made it! It's been in the works for some time. You can wear it as a waist sash, headband or whatever else you can think of." Shiadrih smiled gently as Faye looked at her in disbelief. 

"What? I can't take this! There's… There's clearly been a lot of work put into this. You know what I'm like! It will end up torn the minute I'm on a mission." Faye immediately shoved the sash towards the other elf. It was no secret to anyone that Faye did indeed seem to be incredibly good at damaging parts of her gear whenever she was out and about. Or herself, as recent work had proven. Though rogues by nature were careful, she just seemed to be stupidly unlucky with certain things that are out of her control. 

"Oh come now, you know the stuff I create is far from fragile. It had a minor enchantment upon it which will help make it more durable. I know how much you love red and pirate fashion." The gentle laugh that escaped Shiadrih was nothing short of affectionate as she pushed Faye's hand back towards her.

Faye considered for a moment; her gaze flicking between the sash and then her companion. Finally, she gave in and rather sheepishly wrapped it around her neck to use as a decorative scarf. Then, she shuffled forward and hugged the taller elf with a smile. "Thank you Rih, really. It's beautiful." 

"Don't get all soft on me now! Blightcaller wouldn't approve of that, now would he?" 

That was enough for Faye to end the hug a little prematurely to make a display of rolling her golden eyes. "He has already seen me practically drowning in tears. It just seemed to confuse him more than anything. Speaking of which though, I do think I want to talk to him about work. Hell, even if it's just to pick daisies in Tiraguard then I'll be happier doing that than being stuck doing boring work here. I'll be back soon, unless he decides to drown me."

With that, she excused herself and left the comforts of Shiadrih's small but exquisitely decorated home. Illusionist mages really could turn anything into something amazing. She had decorated it in a fashion that very much screamed 'Suramar' right in your ear. When she stepped outside, she was surprised to see that it was getting dark already. For a moment she considered going back inside but then reminded herself that it was Nathanos. He didn't sleep. And so, that meant it technically didn't matter  _ when _ she went to talk to him. Though her clothing was far more showy and casual than she'd have otherwise spoken business in, it didn't bother her much at that time. She was presentable, though showing off a bit more than usual for her. The thought of her clothing hadn't even occurred to her though if it had, she doubted it would matter either way. She did tend to loosen up a great deal, even after small amounts. It was either that, or becoming an 'aggressive' drunk that tried to start fights with everyone and everything. But tipsy Faye certainly had much less cares in the world. 

It seemed it wasn't late enough in the night for there to be much of a drop in activity. She had not been walking long when the sound of flute music perked her ears up. When her gaze found the origins of it, a smile grew onto her face. It was nice to see that even in a place like Zandalar, that there were passionate musicians there too. 

Faye didn't allow herself to get distracted for long though and she soon found herself down by the docks where the chill of the ocean air from the night was rather relentlessly nipping at her exposed parts. That was when she sighed as she tugged on her shirt in a futile attempt at covering up more of her front against the assault of the winds. 

"Ah,  _ Champion.  _ Are you ready to finally make yourself useful?" 

The sudden voice behind her had startled her enough to cause her to jump before she had registered who the voice belonged to. Faye spun around immediately to find a pair of vaguely amused fiery eyes cutting through the soft darkness of early night. When he'd spoken, he had sounded almost pleased to see her. For a moment, she could've sworn she'd caught his gaze glancing downward for just a brief second. Surely she had imagined that. She reasoned that he was likely just wondering about her choice of clothing with the apparent chill in the sea air. 

"By the Sunwell, why do you insist on sneaking up on me, Commander? And why are you not on the ship?" Faye snapped at him mainly out of embarrassment of being caught off guard so. She had been incredibly jumpy the last couple of weeks. Even Garona had noticed that, since she had made a one off comment last time she saw her. 

"I was not sneaking. In fact if you had half a brain cell and put those ears of yours to use, you would've heard me walking. Secondly, you can't seriously be under the impression that I do not have other business that doesn't involve standing around all day. " He'd raised a brow as he shook his head and motioned for her to follow her onto the ship. 

Faye was surprised. He was nowhere near as hateful as usual. The possibility of finally having work to do was exciting. More so with how Nathanos had seemed pleased about whatever was in store. That was definitely unusual. 

"I've had some drinks…probably why I didn't hear you. " Came her muttered response as she tailed behind him. Why she was admitting that, she wasn't entirely sure but either he hadn't heard her, or he was indifferent to it.

Once they were at the command table, Faye decided to ask the question that she'd on her mind. 

"Might I ask why I have not been called to arms for an entire week? I was getting very tempted to come down and pester you to the point that you'd feed me to the Alliance. Anything to get away from here." Faye crossed her arms over her chest as her gaze steadily observed Nathanos and his reaction. 

His response came in the form of a short huffed chuckle which immediately caused Faye to narrow her eyes at him in suspicion. The Dark Ranger watched her for a moment; his gaze challenging her suspicious one. "I could arrange that. I have no doubt that you would make a useful spy. " A hint of a smirk tugged into his pale lips before his attention was turned to the displayed documents and maps upon the table. 

"To answer your question, there simply has been nothing suitable for your skillset. And following your… Unfortunate streak of injuries, thought it best to let you out your abilities to use in gaining favour with the Zandalari." Nathanos paused as he shifted his gaze upward briefly to meet with Faye's. "We have been preparing to retrieve a particular relic that will help shift the… tide in our favour. I believe you will be able to make yourself useful on this."

Faye hummed in thought as she leant back against the railing of the ship. "I see. " The rogue gave a small nod in response. Though she had not had much to drink, it still had a clear effect on her thoughts. For a moment, her gaze simply studied Nathanos's features while he was going into more detail concerning the upcoming mission. She lingered on the beard that he had and couldn't help but wonder how it would feel. Faye caught herself rather quickly and pushed those thoughts away immediately once she had, leaving her to wonder where the hell that had come from, and glad that Nathanos seemingly hadn't noticed her staring. She was rather disturbed by the sudden turn in her thoughts, but tried not to think too much of it. Surely it just came down to the fact that she'd had a bit to drink paired with the implications Shiadrih had made before she'd left. Faye bit the inside of her cheek as she felt her cheeks flush somewhat in embarrassment at her own thoughts. 

"Voss and Zelling will be joining as we strike Boralus to steal the scepter." The look of confusion on Faye's face as Zelling was mentioned prompted Nathanos to brief her on the progress made whilst she had been doing other work. Again she was rather certain that he'd taken notice of what was no doubt visible colouring upon her cheeks. 

"When are we to do this?" Faye had crossed her arms in a way that sought to somewhat cover up more against the cold. At this point, she was shivering lightly, despite her best attempts at keeping that at bay. She definitely felt exposed in more ways than one and was thoroughly regretting that she had not thought about that before deciding to speak to Nathanos. Granted, she was rather tipsy, despite her doing a good job at otherwise appearing sober. Outwardly, that was. Controlling the random intrusive thoughts was not as easy. 

"Two days from now." After a short pause, he added onto that. " And I expect you to be clear headed for that. If you have any questions regarding this, you can speak with me or Voss tomorrow. For now, you are dismissed. I trust you know better than to start another brawl?" Nathanos was clearly referring to the incident she'd in the tavern. She had been incredibly humiliated, having practically been dragged down by her ear to be scolded by him. 

" Of course...it's just me and 'Rih. " Once more Faye wasn't entirely sure as to why she was telling him that, for it made absolutely no difference to him. She knew he only cared about her doing her job properly , and likely couldn't give less of a fuck as to what she did in her spare time, so long as it didn't damage relations with their allies. Sighing quietly, she stood up straight and began her departure, only to be stopped by a hand on her wrist. She turned and gave him a confused look. 

"Next time you decide to report for work, do so sober." Nathanos spoke as he let go of her wrist. Then, his gaze had once more dropped just briefly though there was certainly no mistaking that, especially as how he commented on it. "And I'd suggest dressing in a way that won't have you freezing to death." When his gaze had met hers again, Faye felt her cheeks burning up in embarrassment and immediately broke off eye contact as she turned to leave. 

"Good night, Commander." Came Faye's hurried response before her feet had already carried her down the steps from the command table and soon found themselves on the dock. Pretty quickly after that, did she find herself back in the comforts of Shiadrih's home where she found said nightborne fast asleep on the sofa. She kicked off her shoes and then prodded her awake, so she could get to sleep in her own bed. 

They spoke briefly with Faye very much refusing to even mention the embarrassing moments and not long after, both were out cold. 

\--------

On the day of the mission, Faye was feeling rather excited about the danger of it, and also just getting to be a part of something which no doubt would be key to getting success over the Alliance. She was in a better mood than usual, which was reflected by the small smile that almost seemed ever present on her lips. With her hair tied up into a bun to keep it from her face and fully geared up, she made her walk down to the docks. Once the ship came into view, her smile became ever so slightly more visible. Finally she'd be able to make herself directly useful in the war efforts. She greeted the others, that being Zelling and Voss, with polite good mornings before reporting up to Nathanos. 

Her lifted spirits was clearly noticeable, for the first thing that was said to her by Nathanos was a comment on her mood being better than usual. 

"I'm just glad to finally have something to do other than dealing with rampaging reptiles and children. And getting the chance to steal something right under Alliance noses? Well, I can't exactly complain." The roguish smile she gave him was particularly fitting. It was rather unusual for her to smile at others except for Shiadrih, but Nathanos had since been given two. Had her Nightborne friend known that, the ridiculous teasing would likely never stop. 

" This won't be an easy task, I do hope you realise this. I have made the decision that I will directly accompany you and Zelling. Things have been...amiss lately." Nathanos spoke with an almost thoughtful look on his face as his gaze went outward towards the sea for a moment before returning to Faye once she responded. 

" Oh? Amiss how so?" She quirked a brow as she looked at him with a glint of curiosity but also concern visible in her golden eyes. 

"Like with what happened at the graveyard, it has been reported that the Alliance have been showing up in places where they should  _ not _ know where to find us." He lowered his voice. "I suspect one amongst us is feeding the Alliance information." After he said that, his gaze burned into hers as he clearly searched for any sort of reaction from her that would indicate even the slightest bit of panic or recognition. He was left with no such reaction, and only seemed to find that Faye just looked concerned; her brows furrowed together into a light frown. 

"I see. If I find anything out, you will be the first to know, Commander. Should you allow me, I can do some digging. Having a traitor amongst us is something that needs to be dealt with quickly." Clearly Faye was not the one giving tips to the Alliance, but she was now left wondering who it could be. One of the others working with them perhaps? It was a concerning thought for sure. 

Nathanos had simply nodded in response, which she took as the all clear to do some investigating into the matter whenever she had the time to do so. 

"I believe we are all here. Let us be off!" 

And with that, the ship's sails were unfurled and soon they took to the sea. 

With the travel time, Faye was left at the mercy of her own thoughts as she wasn't exactly one for idle chatter and often kept to herself. She was rather… Glad that Nathanos had chosen to speak to her of his concerns. She figured that could only mean that he trusted her, which was certainly a nice thought. Still, she was clueless as to who amongst them it could be. The possibility of the traitor being anyone working closely with her or Nathanos was one she doubted. But, they'd have to be able to know about upcoming missions. Her brows once again drew in to form a soft frown. Overhead ,a nasty storm was brewing which she most definitely was not looking forward to. At the speed of things, it would reach them before they reached land. And thus, preparations for the coming storm were being made and Faye retreated inside as soon as the first few droplets of rain fell, having no interest in getting soaked head to toe. By then, the waves were already much larger than before and were slowly reaching an uncomfortable size. Ordinarily, Faye was not one to get seasick but storms out at sea tended to have that effect on her. As such, she was just holed up in a corner where she could keep herself from sliding all over the place as the waves grew in intensity whilst the storm raged outside. She wasn't too sure when, for everything seemed to meld together into a standstill in time, but eventually even Nathanos had enough of the weather and retreated to the relative safety of the inner parts of the ship, looking like a drowned rat. In fact his appearance when Faye noticed him caught her off guard enough to cause her to crack up. 

"That's what you get for being stubborn and staying outside in the middle of a  _ storm _ ."

He was absolutely drenched and did not look all that impressed about that. Clearly even being dead didn't mean one was all that happy about being soaked through and through by storms. The look he sent her only sent Faye into a small fit of laughter which she tried, and failed, to keep contained by biting the insides of her cheeks. 

"Quiet!" Nathanos had snapped before continuing elsewhere, likely to keep from having to deal with Faye's nonsense. Despite how he had snapped at her, she was almost certain she had seen a fleeting glint of amusement, likely at her failed attempts at hiding her laughter, only to cover it up with his usual grumpiness. She had almost expected him to grab her by the scruff of her neck and toss her outside for laughing at him. It was rather hard for her not to notice the slight change in his behaviour around her. Perhaps it was simply the fact that she had gained more of his trust when she had very likely saved his 'life' at the graveyard. She wasn't sure what the reasoning was, but it was strange to know that even he of all people, wasn't all doom and gloom. Despite all their snark towards each other, Faye was beginning to feel that they were slowly inching towards friendliness, and not just 'Commander/Champion'. A nice thought, though she knew she could be barking the wrong tree when there wasn't even a tree to bark at. 

Somehow during the especially rocky journey to Freeport, Faye managed to not spill the contents of her stomach onto the deck of the ship, despite very much feeling like that could've happened at any given moment. When they did eventually arrive, she departed the ship on uneasy legs, though they quickly regained their confidence once on steady land. 

When the Proudmoore fleet had arrived to retrieve Derek, Faye had not been prepared for the battle ahead, as Nathanos had failed to mention such. Fortunately with the aid of their allies, she pulled through with only a minor cut to her cheek. It had gone well enough, and Faye was proud to say that she had taken out more than a few of the elite guardsmen. Then, it was onto the requested targets of Amalia. Before she had set off to do such, she'd heard Nathanos say something about being careful, though in his usual tone of voice that made it sound very far from sincere. Faye was starting to know better though and found the slightest of smiles to curl onto her lips as she walked away. 

Not exactly being the type to cut her way through her enemies, Faye found her way to the unsuspecting targets through stealth. Many of the crewmembers and guards were too distracted by the battle happening on shore, that they didn't bother to be prepared for a rogue prowling around. A brave move on her part for sure; not taking the time to carefully cut her way through to ensure a clean escape. But, she simply was not able to face more than a couple of them head on comfortably. Three would be pushing it. And there was no doubt that if she went in there guns blazing, that they'd be on her in seconds. So, the art of assassination much better suited her. She managed to carry out the rest of the mission with minimal injuries to herself, using surprise attacks and escaping by the cover of smoke bombs to get away as soon as her target was down. It was a rather cowardly thing to do, but she was a rogue after all. They weren't exactly known to be fair fighters. Still, she'd had to deal with a few more guards on her way out than she would have liked but all that mattered was that she made it back in one piece. Her armour was dyed red in multiple places, though the majority of that was not her own. She did find herself wondering why Amalia had decided  _ not _ to join her in the disposal of her old colleagues, for it sure as hell would have made it much easier for her. But Faye supposed they probably had plenty to deal with themselves up there. At the very least, Voss had joined her on the final ship to provide some much appreciated assistance. When she returned blood stained and understandably tired from the assassinations, she gained a nodded smirk from Amalia who clearly understood just by her appearance, that she had succeeded. 

"I'm down to a single smoke bomb left. But, I have done as asked." Faye walked up to Amalia and held out her hand expectantly. The other woman didn't hesitate before she placed a decent sum of gold in the other's palm. 

"Take a couple minutes to rest up. There will be a lot more bloodshed in Boralus. But we cannot afford to linger here long." Nathanos spoke, clearly directed towards Faye as she had been the most active in that small battle. 

Faye waved him off however as she wiped her bloodied cheek with the back of her arm whilst digging through her small pouch of assorted vials of liquid." No, I don't want to waste any time." Her fingers fumbled against a yellowish liquid of which she uncorked and downed half of. A heavy shudder escaped her at both the unpleasant taste, and the immediate effects of the potion. She much preferred the taste of thistle tea over random alchemical concoctions. But, it was the easiest to get her hands in in Zulduzar, and so it was what she'd make do with. 

"As you wish. Oculeth has a portal ready. Zelling will be joining us as mentioned earlier." At the mention of 'us', Zelling had given Nathanos a sideways glance though he kept whatever thoughts he had to himself. 

Following that, the trio made their departure through the portal that sent them directly into Boralus. The first several times Faye had travelled with portals, she had always been left incredibly light headed and nauseous. That reaction had long since disappeared as her body had grown accustomed to such things very early on in her days as a mercenary. 

Once again, the mission went smoothly and there was no evidence of any sort of foul play which would have resulted in a need for the additional support provided by Nathanos. Clearly the dark ranger had felt it necessary to ensure the safe retrieval of the relic, and didn't want to risk it by just leaving it down to the other two. It had all in fact gone perfectly. The ritual performed by Zelling worked and with a charge of intense magical energy, the relic had appeared right in front of them. While Nathanos seemed very pleased with that, Faye noticed that Zelling seemed… Uncertain. Nonetheless, he retrieved the scepter from where it floated seamlessly above the cauldron, which meant they could finally leave. And leave they almost did. Zelling seemed to be in much more of a rush than them, for he had shown discomfort at being there in Boralus since they'd arrived, and was some ways in front of the others. Nathanos was trailing some ways behind whilst Faye was just making her way towards the basement where the portal was located. 

"They have the scepter!" Came the cry of someone who was likely someone of notable rank within the guard as they stormed in with enough men that there was no hopes to fight them off. Of course all three of them had drawn their weapons, despite knowing it would be a useless battle. 

Faye called out a curse. "Get through the portal, Zelling! We can't lose the scepter. Close it behind you, lest the Alliance follow." Despite it not being her place to shout orders, it was all she could think of in that moment. Zelling had hesitated with his panicked gaze flickering between them and the swiftly approaching alliance forces. Only when Nathanos yelled out for him to go, did it seem enough for him to make his retreat. Faye shared a brief look with Nathanos in that moment. They had to surrender. 

This only confirmed his belief of their being a traitor amongst them, otherwise they would not have known to find them there. They had been careful. 

With neither of them all that willing to be cut down where they stood, neither Faye nor Nathanos made any attacks towards the Alliance. 

" _ Blightcaller _ … And the little nuisance of a rogue at his side. 'Reckon the King himself would find whatever information you hold useful. Aye, you'll be coming with us to Stormwind. " The woman in the particularly flashy armour said, not even bothering to dismount from the horse she rode. She didn't need to. The guards had already surrounded both of them which ensures neither of them would try anything, lest they had a death wish. Some had also gone to chase after Zelling, though they would find they were too slow. 

\----

A panicked Zelling stumbled through the portal, clutching the Abyssal Scepter as though his undeath depended on it. 

"Close the portal! The Alliance found us. They can't be allowed through!" 

Though equally concerned and confused, Oculeth immediately let the portal fizzle out of existence. "Did the other two not make it? If anything, I would have expected you to be the one not to make it out." 

"The Alliance arrived just as I finished the ritual. They… They told me to just escape with the scepter. I have no doubts that they are still alive. Or that Blightcaller is. The information he holds is much too valuable for them to kill even him." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed. ^^


	5. Chapter 5

Fayeliel bit back what would have otherwise been a hiss of pain as she was forced onto her knees whilst a guard secured her wrists behind her back tightly; clearly done in a way that would be uncomfortable. Her heart was pounding like crazy from the panic of the whole situation, though her outward appearance didn't reflect that. They would be taken to Stormwind, meaning the possibility of their allies coming to break them free was incredibly slim. Already were the gears turning in her head to figure out some way out of all of what was happening. She heard Nathanos growl out an insult as he was similarly dealt with.

Things were looking rather grim. 

The familiar sound of a mage conjuring up a portal could be heard, though Faye was not able to see who was creating it, nor where. That didn't matter though. Either way it meant that they'd be escorted through it and thrown into the stockades. Both of them were then stripped of their weapons, which were likely to be carried through to the stockades for storage. Clearly her being a rogue meant that they were thorough in their checking for weaponry, which in itself was humiliating enough. Being poked, prodded and practically groped in various areas was definitely not something she was all that pleased about. She did have a couple of extra weapons on her that would've been missed, had they not been thorough. A dagger strapped to her boot and a small knife tucked underneath the bottom of her leather chest plate. They found both quickly and discarded them along with her other weapons. 

"Get up, horde  _ dogs! _ " Faye was yanked up by her hair which had her immediately scampering up onto her feet and crying out in pain. Despite her very much wanting to put up a fight, she knew that wouldn't end well. It was not in her interest to let her emotions get the better of her and only make things worse. When the portal came into view and she was shoved towards it, she instantly recognised it as the stockades, which wasn't surprising in the slightest. 

"No, no no no no! Wait, please!" Faye put down her feet in a futile attempt at stopping the guard escorting her from shoving her into the portal. Of course, that didn't stop them and she was pointedly reminded of the weapon pressed into her back, between her shoulder blades. With no other choice than to walk forward, that was exactly what she did as the feeling of dread grew in her stomach. Around her, the world swirled together into a blinding, confusing mess. Then, for just a moment, the ground beneath her feet was gone and it was as though she was falling. In a split second, everything returned to normal just as her breath left her lips. The sound of rattling armour filled her ears immediately as Stormwind guards rushed to 'greet' them. 

The appearance of Nathanos put a start into the guards and despite his current harmless condition, had a couple of weapons drawn toward him, only resulting in him scoffing in dry amusement as he glared at them with an inferno of hatred burning in his eyes. 

"How did you-... Nevermind that. King Anduin will be very pleased to see  _ this _ ."

One spoke and from the armour worn, Faye assumed she was a high ranked guard. Almost immediately, they were escorted inside the large stone building and tossed into the first empty cell within. The bindings upon their wrists were cut, likely in favour of shackles soon to replace them. For a moment, they were left alone with no guards outside the cell. Faye was suddenly thrown off by the sharp metallic taste of blood in her mouth followed by an equally sharp pain. As a nervous habit she had been chewing on the inside of her cheek and had drawn blood from doing it too much. It wasn't something she had even been consciously doing, and the adrenaline had kept her from noticing the warning signs of growing discomfort. Only when she broke skin had she realised. She bit back a sigh as she slumped against the nearest wall, running a hand down her face. When her hand passed her eyes, she looked over at Nathanos who seemed to be in a world of his own as he was probably thinking of possible solutions. 

"What now?" Faye muttered, not to anyone in particular as she allowed herself to slide down into a sit. It was mostly her musing out loud to herself. She heard Nathanos shift and soon found him at her side. 

"You wouldn't happen to have any of your 'easy way out' potions on you, would you?" She asked in the attempt at somewhat lightening the otherwise very grim mood. It was a callback to when they had broken into the stockades in the beginning of their adventures in Zandalar. He had provided them with potions, should things have gone awry, so that there was no chance of information being leaked had any of them gotten captured. 

The dark ranger dryly gave a half chuckle. 

"Unfortunately not. Getting out of places is your specialty, is it not?" His flame-like gaze shifted from the bars of their cell and over to meet with Faye's golden one. 

"Yes but… We're in the middle of  _ Stormwind _ ." Faye shook her head, trying to ignore the nagging exhaustion that was pulling at her. Restlessly, she had risen to her feet and began her pacing. Despite being tired, she found it hard to sit still. She had an idea, though she had no clue as to whether or not it would work. But, they didn't have a lot of options. Sitting around and waiting to be rescued just wasn't an option. The sooner they got out, the better. Nathanos directed most of the efforts against the Alliance and with him gone, things would be going south for the Horde. She could feel the gaze of said Dark Ranger on her whilst her back was turned to him before he spoke. 

"I do hope you realise that pacing around like that won't get us anywhere?" 

Faye couldn't stop the agitated sigh that left her. That time, she didn't even bother firing back at his comment. 

It was cold, dark and didn't smell particularly pleasant, but that was to be expected of a prison. They weren't exactly made to be  _ comfortable _ . Unlike Faye, Nathanos looked to be more calm than anything which definitely struck her as odd. Surely he hadn't already accepted his fate? No, she suspected he was most definitely pissed off, though making an effort to not show that. Letting out a shuddered breath, Faye decided to channel her growing panic into… whatever she could think of that just might help get her out of the dire situation. So once a prison guard had come to stand watch outside or their cell, Faye had rushed over to the bars to speak to him; desperately clutching at the metal bars. 

"Please, I-I can help you! I have valuable information I can give! " The panic she was already feeling from the situation did much to make her all the more convincing. She was practically stuttering out most of her words and she could only hope he understood her rather rusty common. Her words didn't seem to have affected the guardsman yet, merely causing him to sigh in annoyance. Clearly it wasn't enough to dangle that in front of him. Her brows furrowed together to form a frown as she briefly thought before speaking again. 

"I have helped the one passing you information with the details of our missions! Please, I can prove it to you! I-I have worked closely with Blightcaller and in the war efforts. I never wanted to participate in this-... She blighted our own troops! Why would I fight alongside that?" 

Her panicked display seemed to have been convincing enough that from the corner he was in, Nathanos was staring at her with a murderous look appearing in those blazing eyes of his.

" Faye…" Came the lowly growled warning from him as he took a step towards her. 

She did her very best to ignore him, even though she really now did have to fear that he would hurt her. Of course, none of the things she said were true in the slightest. But when the times called for it, Faye very much could be a convincing liar, as most rogues should be able to. 

"Please, my family-.. They threaten our loved ones if we do not follow orders. Please let me out! I will provide you whatever information you need. I can give camp locations- anything at all! I will gladly betray the Horde, for the safety of my family. " Her voice had involuntarily cracked with her desperate attempts at convincing the prison guard to even consider her words. With how she was rambling, she wasn't sure if he had understood her at all, for at first he didn't move. 

Another sigh. The man then turned to look at her briefly as his pale gaze scanned hers before he suddenly left without a word. Faye could only hope that he was going to tell whoever that was in charge about her supposed willingness to help. What she had said about families being threatened wasn't true, at least not as far as she actually knew.But as it seemed, neither that nor her complete one eighty was enough for Nathanos to catch on to what she was trying to accomplish.

All of a sudden, she found herself thrown roughly against the wall to her left, knocking the breath from her lungs, with a very pissed off Nathanos holding her by her throat. Her hands flew up to the hand that wasn't shy about trying to cut off her breathing. Faye had no doubts that he would be seeing this through, despite the pleading look she tried to give him whilst tears welled up in her eyes. Desperately, she was trying to pry his fingers away from her throat, because she couldn't do much else. Her panic was very real, causing her to frantically kick her legs about as they tried to find the ground again. With how tightly his grasp on her delicate throat was, when she tried to speak it only resulted in a meek whimper. 

This was not how things were supposed to have gone at all. Was this how she was really going to die? Trying to save both herself and the man that was currently choking her to death in the Stormwind Stockades? 

"You of all people?" Nathanos snarled as he tightened his grip on her throat; his eyes practically ablaze with rage. "Clearly I have been a fool to trust a _rogue._ _"_ Something else had flickered to the surface of his gaze for a moment as he pressed her harder against the stone wall. Betrayal, amongst something else. His voice lowered as he brought his face closer to hers. "I should have known that it was you. " His voice held no kindness in it, and only convinced Faye further that he was entirely serious about killing her right then and there. 

With what felt like fire in her lungs, Faye felt her consciousness beginning to slip in the form of black spotting in her vision and with the grip on her throat not lessening, she was sure she would be meeting her end very soon. For the first time in a while, she was reminded of just who Nathanos was. Or, so she thought…until the pressure on her throat had lessened, just enough for her to get a breath in. Why was he hesitating all of a sudden? That was when the guard had returned and seeing the situation that was happening, had immediately drawn his sword and placed it at Nathanos's throat. That was enough for him to fully let go of Faye, who was sent into a coughing fit as her body fought to draw in as much of the precious but stale air as possible in one go. 

"You Horde...always turning on one another. How disgusting. Back away, Blightcaller! Elf, come to the gate. If you can prove what you say, we may give you a chance of freedom." 

Still recovering from the attack, Faye found it relatively difficult to fully find her balance as she struggled to stand up straight. The look Nathanos gave her, made her all the more eager to get out of there before he decided to finish what he'd started. In hindsight, she should have waited with her act, until she had told him about it. That mistake would've cost her her life, had the guard not returned.She knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill traitors, and she had very much so just painted herself as one. At the very least, it made her story seem all the more real. However, how quickly he had turned on her had been frightening, and reminded her once more that he was definitely not someone she ever wanted to actually cross. Even despite what she had seen as a budding form of…friendship between them, it clearly did not matter in the face of betrayal, nor she supposed it should. The brief moment where she had caught the new emotions to show through the rage would have been heartbreaking, had she not been seconds away from death. It had only gone to show that he clearly had grown fond of her in some way, otherwise the betrayal and hurt in his eyes would not have seemed anywhere close to personal, as it had. How he had hesitated just briefly before the guard had interrupted just made her feel even more guilty with how she supposed she would now be playing the act of traitor against him, and the Horde. She never saw Nathanos hesitate for anything, and yet he had just then, briefly. Even when she had openly stated she was a traitor. 

Faye fought back the urge to say anything to Nathanos as she went over to the gate of the cell which was then promptly opened by the human and then locked behind her. She hadn't noticed until then that she must've been crying, for when the soft breeze that cut through the stockades hit her face, she could feel the wetness on her cheeks.For a moment, she closed her eyes and tried to force herself to relax. They had given her the opportunity to prove her usefulness, meaning she had the chance to win over their trust. However long it took, she would make sure both herself  _ and _ Nathanos would be making it out of there alive. Wellin her case alive, before too much information had been given. She had broken into the stockades once, she could do it again. She only needed them to either allow her to leave, or to work with them enough for them to trust her to be left alone within Stormwind. 

The prison guard who she learned to be the name of Fredric when a passing guard mentioned him, motioned for her to follow him. Whilst on their way out of the stockades, Faye wiped at her face in an attempt at getting rid of the tear streaks and blood present on it. "Thank you for coming back...had you not, then he would have killed me." Her voice was still strained from the ordeal and likely would be for some time. She figured she would take the chance to thank him. Any small points she could earn would all eventually add up to help her in her scheme. 

The man simply huffed in response and continued escorting her to wherever it was that she was being taken to. When they exited the stockades, Faye was instantly hit with another feeling of panic threatening to wash over as the bustling streets of Stormwind came into view once more. But, she forced it down, reminding herself that for now, she was safe. Having infiltrated Stormwind a few times in the past, she could somewhat remember the layout of it. So, when it became apparent that they were heading towards the Keep, her panic did not lessen in the slightest. Again, Faye did her best to keep it contained, though the hammering in her chest was not something she could control. She received quite some looks from passing citizens; some of disgust and hatred whilst others were simply curious. Her golden gaze was frantically darting all over the place as they walked up towards the steps of the Keep. She immediately tensed as a large, very familiar and angry looking worgen passed by them. 

_ Greymane _ . He barely spared her a glance, making it obvious to her that she was not a prisoner he cared about. She could only assume he was heading down to the stockades for Nathanos and by the light, she was desperately hoping that he wasn't going to kill him. 

As they approached, the Royal Guard at the front simply let them pass, clearly having already been informed about the situation. Apparently, her feet had begun slowing for she was yanked forward by her wrist by Frederic who mumbled something about getting her feet moving. Inside the Keep, Faye felt incredibly small. Insignificant like an ant. It was so quiet that the only sound were their footsteps which seemed to echo throughout the hall. 

The sight that greeted her when they reached the throne room was one she had expected, but somehow still not been prepared for. On the throne the little lion himself, who rose once they had entered. At his side was an elf whom Faye knew relatively well.  _ Valeera Sanguinar _ . 

They had worked together a few times during the Legions attack. It seemed that her appearance had surprised the other rogue, for her eyes had widened noticeably. Even Jaina was present. She suspected they had likely been discussing what to do with Nathanos, before her pleading with the prison guard had brought her there. 

"Fayeliel, Champion of the Horde, you have been brought here for the information you claim to be willing to share. If what you say is true and your loved ones are being threatened in turn for your participation in this...Ruthless war, then my heart goes out to you. " Anduin had walked down the steps from his throne and stood directly in front of her." We know you to be an invaluable asset to the Horde's forces and you have brought much sorrow to my people. So I ask you, why should we trust what you say? "

The whole situation was incredibly overwhelming. She had not expected to have an audience with the King himself so soon. Sure, she was a high value member of the Horde who'd been a thorn in their wide since the start of the war, but she had not thought herself important enough to speak directly with Anduin. Clearly that meant that they were taking it all very seriously, however. It took her a moment to gather her nerves before she spoke." I have always had my family in my best interest. If that meant going to war to ensure their safety against our  _ own _ people, then there was no choice. There still isn't." She could only hope that she could convince them. There was a slight pause before she spoke again."I would be glad to share with you what I know, if only that I get freedom in return. Blightcaller would sooner die than betray his Queen, no matter how much you torture him." That much was true without a doubt. She knew it would be impossible to get him to speak. So, Faye really was their best shot at immediate information and that was something she fully intended to exploit. Whatever it took to get out of there.

"But, I will have to be careful what I share. If they catch on to the fact that I have betrayed them, they will go for my family as punishment. This Horde is not the Horde I know." 

Again, Faye was bringing up the victim card and playing it as hard as possible. She knew Anduin had a soft heart. Everyone knew that. If she could only win over some of his sympathies, that would be enough. He had already shown part of that just in their introduction. 

Anduin's brows furrowed into a frown as he seemed to think over what she'd said. Valeera then joined at his side to look at Faye. "It's a shame we are caught on opposite sides. We worked well together during the Legion invasion." Then, she narrowed her eyes, adding onto what she'd said in Thalassian. "If you are lying, I will cut you down myself. Past alliances mean nothing now, I hope you know this." In response, the raven haired rogue simply nodded and gave Sanguinar a sincere look. She was hit with the realisation that in order to save both herself and Nathanos, she would have to  _ actually _ betray the Horde. Giving them false information would do no good, for the moment they found out, she would not be given another chance. Surely if she succeeded and returned with  _ Nathanos, _ her crimes would be forgiven? 

"I will give you a chance to prove yourself. For the sake of not putting your family in danger, you will be sent up here in a few days time where you will be questioned by Shaw. If the information you provide is both true and useful, your release will be considered. For now, you will be returned to a different cell. It would seem it isn't safe to keep you with Blightcaller-"

"Anduin, you can't be serious! She is rogue from the Horde. It is far more likely she was sent here as a spy-"

"That is exactly why she will be kept in a cell up until we are ready to find out what she knows, Jaina. What harm will there come from that?" The young King had sighed before dismissing Faye and the prison guard, making sure to mention that she should be fed. So, she was to spend time in a cell for an unknown amount of time before being questioned by their Spymaster. The fact that Anduin seemed to have considered her nonexistent family's safety led her to believe that he had bought her story. As such, Faye couldn't be happier. But of course, she shouldn't underestimate his plans. Though everyone knew he was… Inexperienced and naive, she very much doubted he was stupid. And well if he was, those around him certainly were not. Her nerves were still very much through the roof, but she had calmed down a little.

The walk back to the Stockades was uneventful. At least, no rotten fruit was tossed at her, nor did she have insults tossed at her. Not long after, she had found herself in a separate cell, sharing a wall with the one Nathanos was in. Greymane had walked out past them when they'd entered the Stockades. Perhaps the old dog had only wanted to see for himself that the Dark Ranger had indeed been captured. Despite how much she wanted to let him know that she hadn't betrayed him  _ or _ the Horde, she knew it was better if he kept believing that she had. It would only make her lies appear more truthful if. She has felt his hate filled gaze on her as she was escorted past his cell, and into the next one over. 

Now, the waiting game. And wait she did. 

\--------

A week had passed, though Faye couldn't tell with certainty how long had passed, for there was a lack of windows within any of the cells in her sight range. Whatever little food she was given had been appreciated, despite it being incredibly tasteless and dry. It kept her going, and that was all that really mattered. After the first couple of days had passed, the rogue had started growing paranoid. Had they discovered her lies and were just planning on leaving her down there? Then she realised that was a stupid thought, for she doubted they'd be going through the effort of giving her regular meals if they planned on offing her. Still, there were inky droplets of worry that remained within her, keeping the paranoia close. After the sixth day of sitting in complete silence and having nothing to do, she decided to try her luck at starting up conversation with Nathanos whilst no guards were close by. 

"Nathanos?" Her back was up against the stone wall that was shared with the cell he was in, and she knew he would be able to hear her. Despite this, she didn't receive a response. The Dark Ranger was ignoring her, it seemed. She knew he was in there, for she had heard him moving around. So, Faye sighed quietly and tried again. "Nathanos, I know you can hear me." She surprised herself with just how rough her voice sounded from lack of use. "Do you think Sylvanas will come for you?" A genuine question. Surely the Banshee Queen would not just leave her beloved Champion to the mercy of the Alliance. Still no response. Well, he was still under the impression that she was a traitor, and probably didn't want to help with her boredom by entertaining her in conversation. So Faye decided on giving up in her attempts at talking to him and just tried to pass the time with some sleep. Despite not being particularly tired, being stuck in a cell with nothing to do did wonders when it came to being able to fall asleep. 

Another day passed before she was suddenly awoken from her sleep by the sound of rattling keys. Her tired golden gaze quickly found the source. Frederic had returned to, she assumed, escort her up to the keep. 

_ Finally.  _

Faye was understandably eager to get out for some much needed sunlight and fresh air though the former there would be little of. And of course, hopefully put her plan into motion. Unlike last time, she wasn't  _ as _ nervous and panicky, but still definitely not comfortable with the whole thing. When they'd made it outside, she was finally glad to be able to see the sky, and feel the warmth of the sun upon her face. It was a fleeting moment though for she was soon and rather impatiently reminded by Frederic that she needed to get moving. The man always sounded like he was close to giving up on the world. Not angry or forceful like the Kul'Tiras guards had been. Just so incredibly passive and disinterested that it was a wonder he hadn't thrown himself at the Horde to get out of doing the work which he quite clearly seemed to hate. Faye fought the urge to roll her eyes and just obeyed; starting her walk in front of him up towards the keep. The man seemed rather lonely, and she had not spotted a ring on his finger. It was something she kept in mind, should she find that befriending him would be beneficial. 

In the week leading up what was about to happen, she had been going over the least risky things she could give away. Location's that wouldn't hurt the Horde too much to be revealed, and plans that meant little in the long run. It would certainly put them behind some and likely cost them troops, but it would be worth it should they both return back in one piece. She was rather insignificant but losing Nathanos would be a much greater loss for the Horde. 

When they reached the Keep, Shaw had almost immediately joined them at their side. "You will start by updating our map with whatever locations we do not have marked. After that, we will send scouts to make sure you are being truthful. In that time, you will be returned to your cell. Should we find any of the information is false, you will not be given another chance, unless there is an explanation. " He then dismissed Frederic in favour of bringing Faye to the command room himself. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feedback is greatly appreciated.
> 
> I hope you're all stating safe and healthy!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry for the delayed and short chapter. I've had major writers block and it's still active, so this chapter is a little... Meh. I admit, it's rather rushed because I wanted to get something out, and just to hopefully kick-start my writing again. But I'm slowly getting out of my block, so hopefully I'll be back to making more frequent and better updates. The next chapter will be much better, I promise! 
> 
> I hope you are all doing okay in these crazy times!

Nerves were high as Faye had carefully given locations of minor camps throughout Kul'Tiras. Of course she chose minor, non important ones to start with, though even that left a horribly bitter taste in her mouth. Being there in the command room where everything was so disconcertingly blue and gold left her almost truly believing that she was betraying the Horde. She supposed she was, but only to return safely with Nathanos. If it was just her, she doubted it would have mattered in the slightest. Her betrayal for the sake of escaping would not be excused. With the Blightcaller on the other hand, she hoped her actions would be forgiven. 

Shaw watched her closely all the while as she spoke and pointed out rough locations on the large map upon the table. After revealing the first two locations, he dismissed her. At least they seemed to be keeping the promise of being careful in the false fear of her family potentially getting hurt. 

The walk back to the stockade felt longer somehow. When Frederic joined her as Shaw had escorted her out of the command room, he hadn't said anything and merely motioned with his armoured hand for her to follow along with him. Her hand reached up, brushing a both stubborn and dirty strand of hair behind her ear. She couldn't imagine how she looked. They hadn't exactly bothered with allowing her to clean up, and why should they? She was after all, still just a Horde prisoner, one that had been quite the little thorn in their side for some time. Still, she felt disgusting. As though tucking that bit of hair away had reminded her of that state, Faye attempted to rub away some of the dirt that she could feel upon her cheek as they made their walk back to the stockade. Neither her nor her escort said a word as the elf was returned to her cell. 

Once the door creaked shut behind her and was locked, she slumped down onto the floor; eyeing the platter of bread from earlier that morning as though it was personally at fault for her position. Her stomach was of a different mind and made it's thoughts known with an annoying grumble. Faye rolled her eyes and finally reached over for a chunk of the bread; taking a bite out of it almost spitefully. Since they had been put in separate cells, she had not heard a single word from Nathanos. Her brows formed a frown at that. For just a split second, she'd wanted to ask whether or not they were feeding him bread too before mentally face-palming. She was rather glad that she had _ not _ decided to ask that. And so as she had the days before then, she ate in silence; her golden gaze just watching a small moth that fluttered about her cell. At least she had  _ some _ company. 

It had all been very quiet and Faye had found herself to be dozing off, when she suddenly perked up upon hearing the familiar creak of a heavy cell door opening, only to see that it had not been hers. Briefly she was confused, though that was quickly replaced with worry. She listened intently to try to figure out what was going on in the other cell. The usual gruff 'Get up' from one of the guards that had usually been directed towards her, followed by the all too familiar snarl of Nathanos. Then, the rattle of chains. They likely didn't trust to bring him anywhere, without ensuring his ability to do anything was hindered.'  _ What could they want with him? _ ' Faye found herself very much worrying about what they were doing. Nothing else was said between neither guard, nor Nathanos, so she wasn't given anything at all to hint at what was going on. She heard the retreating footsteps as he was lead away to Light knows where.

Eventually Faye fell asleep when it had become dark in the cells, and Nathanos had yet to be returned. An unknown amount of time had passed when she was once more woken from her sleep to the sound of the shriek of a door being swung open. Then the rattling of chains, and then the door closing. Relief washed over her, for at least she knew they hadn't killed him off, though she dared not think what might have been happening. Once she heard the retreating footsteps of what sounded like the two guards who had escorted him, Faye tried her luck at getting a response from her Commander. There were of course still guards stationed nearby but she figured not close enough that they could hear what was being said, though it didn't matter much. 

"Nathanos?" Faye surprised herself with how tired her voice really sounded. It was a given, as she had just been woken, but there were layers on top of that, stemming from… well, everything. 

At first she heard nothing. But then, she heard him move on the other side of the wall, followed by that familiar, irritated sigh of his. 

" _ What? _ " 

Faye's eyes widened, not just because he had actually responded to her. Underneath that usual cold bitterness, he almost sounded exhausted. That immediately had her worrying that they had tried to get information out of him, despite what she had said about that being an impossible task. She had no doubts that if they had tried, he would have kept his mouth shut. But Faye really couldn't think of anything else that would get him sounding like that, for it was definitely not a way she had heard him before. 

Now, she found herself unsure of what to say when he finally had responded to her. All she could really think of was that she wasn't sure if they could play the waiting game like she had originally planned. 

"I…" She frowned as she leant against the shared wall between their cells. Faye shook her head and sighed quietly. "Good night, Commander." Her voice had been soft when she said that, though she hoped he had still been able to hear her. She wasn't sure, for he didn't say anything in return. Once more, silence fell over the two, and Faye decided it was best to rest. 

Since that day, Faye had been called up to share information on multiple times, and never once had she lied about any of it. Perhaps that was why that when a week had passed since then, they seemed to be beginning to trust her. Her food was changed, and she was even allowed to finally wash herself. During the trips to the Keep where she routinely betrayed the Horde, she had made the effort to befriend Frederic, and it seemed to be working. She had caught him smiling once, after she had attempted to crack a joke. It was all progress that she was making, but Faye wasn't sure she was making it quick enough. Since then, Nathanos had been taken away on two different occasions, and both times, from what she could gather, he seemed to be in similar states as when she had very briefly spoken to him. It worried her. A lot. Not that he perhaps couldn't handle whatever was being done, but more that the Alliance could end up getting frustrated with his lack of answers, and simply end up killing him off. And so it was that Faye ended up deciding that her best choice was to take things into her own hands. Her only real possibility of doing so, meant pursuing Frederic. She had already opened the door to friendship, something which he didn't seem so opposed to, after she had proven herself to be trustworthy. He was her assigned guard, and was her best chance at being able to hopefully escape. Just how exactly she was going to go about doing that, she wasn't entirely sure. The only times she was able to speak with him was when he was to escort her somewhere, or when she was brought food, which didn't leave a lot of opportunity. In any other situation, Faye might've even felt bad about planning to use him in order to escape, for with what she had learnt about him, the man seemed to be generally a nice person. Of course, she reminded herself pointedly that he was Alliance, and she had to do whatever it took to escape, with Nathanos in tow. 

When Frederic came to give Faye her food for the day, she smiled up at him and thanked him as he slid the food down through the little space under the door. He'd nodded with the slightest of smiles as he turned to leave. 

"Wait! Could you.. stay with me while I eat? I could use the company." Faye sat down cross legged in front of the iron gate of her cell, still playing that gentle smile upon her lips. The human seemed to consider for a moment before then shrugging as he turned to face her once more. He seemed to be wanting to stay on the other side of the door, but Faye wanted to try her luck. So, she patted the space on the floor next to her. It wasn't like she was a danger in the slightest. She had no weapons upon her and from what they all knew, she had proven herself to be trustworthy, even at the cost of her companions. 

Frederic frowned briefly, his dark brow knitting together in thought. He glanced around briefly, likely to check if there was anyone nearby before with a sigh, gave in to the demands of the elf. He unhooked the keys that hung on his belt and unlocked the gate to Faye's cell, somewhat closing it, before walking inside and sitting down beside her. "I could get in trouble for this, you know." He said quietly, to not be overheard by anyone. 

Faye bit the insides of her cheeks in excitement of the fact that she definitely appeared to be winning him over. "And yet you came anyway." One good thing that had come from everything was that her Common was steadily getting better. She heard it all the time, and was forced to speak it almost on the daily, so it was only natural that would happen. Faye scooted a little closer to him as she took a bite out of her food. "Thank you for staying… It means a lot." She whispered as she once again smiled at him. As she had come to learn, he was usually rather quiet, and mostly let her do all the talking. But he showed that he listened with nods and the occasional subtle smiles. With what she was working up towards on trying, it certainly helped that he was easy on the eyes. 

This short meeting of theirs continued from that day on, with Faye progressively getting more subtly flirty with him. Or at least, as flirty as she was able with her limited Common speaking abilities, not that she was any good at doing so, even in Thalassian. The day came where she believed she would be able to pull off her plan, after more than a week. By then, she reckoned that more than three weeks had passed since their initial capture. Perhaps closer to four. Unfortunately in that time, she had been forced to give away some information that she would rather not have, for the meaningless locations and plans had run out. That was also why she had rushed everything with Frederic. They were running out of time. That day when Frederic came to give Faye her food, and they enjoyed each other's company, she made her move. 

After she had finished her food, and he had gotten ready to leave, she had taken hold of his wrist. When he had turned to ask her what she was doing, Faye shuffled closer and as she draped her arms around his neck, shut him up with a kiss. He seemed to be in shock for he didn't respond at all at first, making Faye fear that her plan was failing, and that her one shot of escaping before she was forced to truly betray the Horde was gone. He was extremely hesitant at first, likely realising the gravity of the consequences, should he be found out, but he returned the kiss cautiously; sliding his hand down the small of her back and pulling her closer. Faye was surprised that it had worked after little more than a week, but she had gotten desperate in wanting to escape . She allowed it to carry on for a short moment, before pulling away; ignoring the feeling of disgust she felt for herself for doing such a thing. At least he was a decent kisser. 

"What was all that abou-" 

"Can you…" Faye bit her lip shyly as she fiddled with a strand of her dark hair; gazing up at him beneath her lashes. She too was in shock, but for different reasons. She hadn't actually thought it would work on him so soon. Seducing people wasn't exactly her strong suit. Neither was flirting. So, it was definitely a miracle that he had fallen for it all. Or perhaps, the man simply just wasn't all that bright."Can you meet with me here later this night? I would like to thank you for everything you have done for me." She once more reached up to gently caress the side of his face, which was when she noticed that just for a split second, he gave her a look of suspicion. Desperately not wanting to fail when she had gotten so far, she went in for another kiss as she slid into his lap. He didn't stop her, surprisingly, though he did pull away from the kiss. 

"Fayeliel-.. I can't just come to you whenever I see fit. The others would get susp-" 

"Please? I'm sure you could make an excuse…"

Frederic sighed as he pushed Faye out of his lap, giving her a stern look. "I shouldn't even be doing any of this," He paused as he looked at her. At that moment, Faye used her panic of possibly failing, and twisting it into as though she had just had her heart broken. 

"But-" 

"Damn it woman." Frederic stood up, shaking his head as he made his leave without another word. 

Faye swore once she was sure he was out of earshot, which was when she was almost certain she heard a brief chuckle coming from the other side of the wall.  _ Almost _ certain. 

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

Faye had spent the better part of the rest of the daylight pacing about in her cell, trying to scramble together a new plan. Anything that could get them out of the mess they were in. Being forced in that cell for weeks was beginning to have its toll on her. Most days, she amused herself by tossing a pebble up into the air and catching it again, repeating that action countless times. She had definitely lost weight, she knew that much. They did feed her, but just enough to keep her going and at that point, she didn't find herself particularly hungry most days.

She could only imagine how it must be for Nathanos. He was barely let out of his cell and when he was, it was likely in attempts at extracting information through whatever means the Alliance saw fit. Faye at least had Frederic who had come to give her food once every day. Of course, getting on his good side had been part of her plan, but the brief moments of company kept her somewhat sane. She was rather disappointed that it seemed nobody had sent for them. If not her, then Nathanos. She would've expected Sylvanas to come to his rescue immediately, but perhaps even this was too risky of a move for her. Or maybe, she was confident in his ability to escape. In this case however, or rather what Faye was aware of, it was her doing all the work. She doubted he had anything cooking up. They were much more careful with him, unsurprisingly. 

Eventually, as she had done every other day when boredom overtook, Faye submitted herself to the dark, and allowed sleep to take hold of her. That was one thing she was grateful for. Sleep was her only escape, and often came with vivid dreams that her mind conjured up, most probably to keep her sane from all the repeated scenery. 

That night she dreamt of being back in Zulduzar, in one of the taverns; drowning out her sorrows in whatever vile concoctions she dared to brave. Shiadrih had been present there too, the both of them in the midst of a drinking game. The dream was rather blurry, up until a very familiar elf appeared.  _ Valdrian _ . A past very close friend- and lover, who had fallen at the hands of the scourge. She was long over his passing, so his appearance in her dream was strange. 

It wasn't often that she thought of him any longer. Faye wasn't the type to dwell in the past, for she found it brought more sorrow than joy. A longing for the past was perhaps what sparked this, or her endless days of enjoying the company of nothing else than her own thoughts. Her escape from reality took a turn then. All of a sudden she found herself back in what had been her old home in Silvermoon; her lips against the familiar shape of her late lover's. A bitter-sweet, nostalgic moment that disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived. The man she had held in her arms faded into nothingness, leaving her to only embrace her arms around herself, and an empty feeling in her chest. Then, she woke. 

The feeling of hot tears running down her cheeks was the first thing Faye became aware of as she sat up, deeply confused by the turn her dream had taken. Her brows formed a soft frown as she rubbed away at the salted emotions that drained from her eyes. She sniffled quietly as she sat there, staring at nothing in particular as she tried to gather her thoughts. It disturbed her that something like that had been unearthed in her dreams. The most logical explanation was that being cooped up in the cell was just giving her too much time to explore her thoughts, and clearly also made her mind want to conjure up impossible scenarios.

After a moment, Faye managed to calm herself and direct her thoughts away from thoughts of the past. Letting out a still shaky breath, she finished what remained in her jug of water; the cool liquid helping to banish the last of her troubles as it trickled down her throat. 

After all that, she found herself unable to sleep again; no longer feeling tired in the slightest. She assumed that it must be night by then, for she couldn't hear much of anything at all, when usually when it was day, she could faintly hear the quiet babble of people. With nothing else to do, the rogue tended to her hair with the worn out comb she had been provided, only after begging Frederic. She sat with her back against the wall she shared with Nathanos for whatever stupid reason, it made her feel a tiny bit better. 

A little into the combing of her hair, Faye began to hum the tune of a Thalassian lullaby that she had been so fond of, when she had been little. Her humming soon turned into her gently whispering the words. It had been a subconscious switch, barely even noticing at first that the words she had been memorising in her head, had made it past just being hums. For just a short while, Faye was lost in her own little world, where she needn't worry about the dire situation she was currently in. So lost in her world, that she had failed to notice someone standing at the door to her cell with a smile plastered onto his face. Only when she returned to humming to the tune, did the man cough quietly to catch her attention. 

Startled, Faye immediately snapped out of whatever thoughts she had been huddled in and practically jumped out of her skin. "Frederic?!" She couldn't hide the excitement from her voice, even though she kept her tone hushed, for fear of alerting any other guards. In one hand, he held the bundle of keys and in the other? Faye was practically drooling at that point. He'd brought a bottle of wine! A small one, but wine all the same, and she was ready to chug the whole damn thing. 

Her knight in literally shining armour unlocked the gate to her cell and walked in, clearly surprised as Faye rose to her feet to embrace him in a hug, which was very much unlike her. It was mainly from the excitement that he had brought wine. That and she wasn't doomed to become a traitor of the Horde, and spend her days as an Alliance spy. In that moment, she could cry. Oh how she had missed a drink of wine… 

"I didn't think you would come…" Faye muttered against his chest, feeling a sudden sharp pang of guilt that she was disturbed by. He was the enemy, after all. She shouldn't be feeling bad about using him. 

"I didn't either, but here we are. I don't have long, though. Don't want the others to find out about my visit." Frederic ran his hand through her hair in a way that was all too familiar to what she had only just experienced in her dream. It caused her to tense briefly, before she pulled away with a smile curling into her lips; keeping up the act because her freedom very much did depend on it. 

They sat back down on the other side of the room, choosing to be on the opposite side of the room as to where Faye usually sat. Frederic pulled off the cork from the wine, both of them wincing slightly at what the seemingly very loud sound it made. In reality, it hadn't been all that loud, but in contrast to the surrounding silence that it shattered, it seemed as though even Anduin himself would've heard it. Faye was allowed the first drink, which she more than gladly accepted, not caring what sort of wine it was, and the only thing in her mind in that moment was to chug the whole thing. Light knew she needed that. But, she controlled herself and settled for a large gulp before handing it back to Frederic, who passed on the offer. 

"Oh, right. No drinking on the job?" Faye asked to which he responded with a nod. Well, more to her. Though she reminded herself that she shouldn't get drunk, not when she was so close to finally escaping. 

She rested her head against Frederic's shoulder, which wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, because of the chain mail he wore, but she didn't care much. Taking another small sip from the wine, she then put it aside; placing the cork back in. That was something she could save for later. Faye briefly gave Frederic a once over, disguising it as her eyeing him up for something else entirely. He still had both a sword and a dagger clipped onto his belt. 

"Thank you for keeping me company all this time. I'll admit, it's been… lonely." Faye muttered softly as she nuzzled up against him. 

"I still don't know why I'm doing this… they'd have my head if they found out about this, Fayelia." Frederic sighed quietly as he slid an arm around her waist. 

"But," Faye grinned mischievously at him as she shuffled onto his lap, hooking her legs around his waist. "they won't find out." She purred as she once again stopped him from saying anything else by pressing her lips to his. He was eager to return it that time, and even seemed to try to heat things up. Once more, she felt that sharp stab in her chest, but she ignored it; simply allowing things to heat up, making him all the more distracted. That was when she slowly slid her hand down his side, under the guise of a loving touch. Her hand continued it's light touch until it reached what she was after. The hilt of the dagger he had on his belt. She was able to get it free from the hilt without him noticing, as he was clearly too wrapped up in the moment to be aware of much else. Faye hesitated for just a split second, before she then rammed the hilt of the dagger into the back of his head as hard as possible. No, she didn't wish to kill him. She owed him that much. When the dagger made contact, it had the desired effect; rendering him unconscious. 

She didn't stop herself from quietly whispering an apology in Thalassian as he went limp. 

Her heart was pounding like a crazed animal was trying to tear it's way out of her chest. There was no time to waste. She immediately unbuckled his sword belt and put it on herself, though she had to put it on the smallest size. Then she grabbed the bottle of wine, forcing it in between her hip and the belt, keeping it snug and safe. Grabbing the keys, she snuck out of her cell; listening intently for guards before proceeding. She figured it was currently Frederic's watch, so she should have some time. Wordlessly, she fumbled around with the keys as she walked to the front of Nathanos's cell. From within, the fiery glow of the dark ranger's gaze stood in stark contrast to the darkness that shrouded most of the rest of him. 

"Well well, look who made herself useful. I am _impressed_ , Fayelia." Nathanos took a couple steps forward as he waited expectantly for her to manage to unlock his door. After a couple of failed attempts using the wrong keys, she finally managed. With a click, the gate was unlocked and carefully opened with a quiet creak. Nathanos wore a pleased smirk upon his face as he stepped out, which would've made Faye swell up with pride if they weren't still in immediate danger. 

"Take this, " Faye handed Nathanos the sword she had taken from Frederic. "I don't know where our gear is, but I'll need your help moving him. The longer it takes them to realise we are gone, the better." And with that, she locked the door into his cell once more. Fortunately it was dark, save for the one wall sconce outside of Faye's cell, which had provided just enough light for her not to go completely insane. But it also meant that should anyone do a brief check, they could just assume that the both of them were slumped away in the darkness and asleep. While it was dark, it would be hard to tell whether or not they were in their cells. 

The adrenaline was pumping through Faye's veins as though it was azerite. She felt ready to take on literally anything, if it meant she could finally escape. Nathanos agreed to moving Frederic's unconscious body out of Faye's cell and instead dumping him in the first closet that they found. Nathanos had insisted that they kill him, but she was adamant in wanting to leave him alive. Her guilt wouldn't allow his death by their hands. He had been a nice man, after all. Alliance or not, she wouldn't feel right about killing him, much to the displeasure of Nathanos. However, he put up with it. Should they manage to escape Stormwind alive, she would've saved him after all. At least he could listen to her. 

"Our gear is likely to be in the storage room. I believe I recall the location, unless they have since changed it." Nathanos whispered and motioned for Faye to follow him. As they turned a corner, they could see a guard stationed not far down the hallway. They wouldn't be able to sneak by him. Normally, Faye would have stealthed, but there was too much torch light. Without saying anything, Nathanos grabbed the dagger Faye had and tossed it at the unsuspecting guard. It hit them right in the throat, perhaps not quite where he had been aiming. The guard attempted to cry out, but the only sounds made were wet, strangled gurgling as they slumped down against the wall. He continued forward and pulled the dagger out from the guards throat, not bothering to wipe it before he handed it back to Faye. They passed by the poor woman who desperately clawed at her throats for a few seconds before going completely limp, neither of them sparing her another glance. 

After a couple more turns, Nathanos's memory proved right, for they came upon a surprisingly unguarded door that when they opened it, was revealed to be the storage room. Immediately the both of them set to work at locating their gear. Faye was fully armoured and geared in record time. She looked back at Nathanos to check whether he had gotten his armour on, which he of course had done already and for a moment, their gazes met. 

There was something new in the way he regarded her, that she couldn't quite place. She wasn't stupid enough to think that he would be grateful for her having gotten his ass out of that cell, but perhaps it was some form of newfound respect. Oh who was she kidding, he was probably just glad to have killed an Alliance, and didn't care one bit that it had been her that had done all the hard work. Although, he had praised her. They didn't speak much during their escape from the stockades, for both of them were much too focused on getting out of there alive and unseen, though as soon as the unfortunately necessary bodies of the guards were noticed, all of Stormwind would pretty much be chasing them. 

They made their escape from the very same way that they had, all the way back the first time. Faye exited the sewers first, for she was smaller and had an easier time with being unseen in situations like that. She breathed in deeply, happy to clear her nose of the stench of the sewers. She felt absolutely disgusting. But, it was an obvious sacrifice to make, if it meant escaping. Her gaze scanned around the surroundings. She saw only one guard in the distance, who had their back turned. 

"It's clear." They had already decided that their best bet would be to sneak out by the harbour, though that did mean they would have to swim. Risking the gates of Stormwind seemed too high a chance of discovery. 

"Good, then let us get a move on." 

The two had barely made it to the harbour when suddenly a bell was frantically ringing, soon followed by the shouting of guards. 

" _ Shit _ . "

Faye immediately took off, though she did her very best to keep to the shadows, where she knew she would be mostly safe. She didn't bother looking behind her to see whether or not Nathanos followed, for she had no doubts he was. They weren't far now from being able to make it out of the walls. Once they made it out of the city and into the wilds, things would get much easier. Light she wished they could steal a Griffin and be done with it, but those animals were damn intelligent. Just as she made it to the end of the docks, she was spotted by a shipwright who had apparently not gone off to sleep just yet. Though the man was innocent, Faye couldn't risk him yelling out, and so she snuffed out his life candle with a clean cut across the throat. And with that, she launched herself off of the dock and into the freezing water below. 

It was an instant shock to her system which almost caused her to breath in, which would've only filled her lungs with water. She kicked frantically and broke the surface a few seconds later, gasping for air and shivering heavily. Wasting no time, she continued her sluggish swim to make it out of the city walls, and onto some flat ground. It was extremely lucky that the waves were not fighting against them, and in fact were mostly calm. Had the waves been strong, they would've been forced to take a more appropriate way out of the city. It took a good two or three minutes of desperate swimming before the otherwise clifflike terrain turned more merciful, and she was able to pull herself onto land. Faye collapsed as soon as she had pulled herself all the way onto the small bit of sand. She laid there on her back shivering like crazy, her chest heaving as the adrenaline began to wear off. Nathanos joining at her side gone almost entirely unnoticed by her. 

"I am definitely going to get sick from this. At least we don't stink... "

Faye breathed as she forced herself to sit up, looking at Nathanos. For whatever reason, seeing him completely disheveled and soaked head to toe like that made her instantly break into laughter, though she had tried to fight the urge to do so. 

Nathanos rolled his eyes as he pushed his hair away from his face and back to it's usual slicked back position before standing. Call her crazy, but Faye was pretty sure she saw a brief smirk. 

"Get up. The longer we sit around, the higher the chance of discovery." 

With a groan, the rogue followed suit and stumbled onto her feet, not bothering to fix her hair, despite knowing she looked like a drowned rat. She certainly felt like one. 

"They probably think we headed out the gates. But… What's the plan now? Do we kidnap a mage and force them to make a portal?" Faye lifted a brow as she moved to stand beside Nathanos. 

He took a moment to think. "I doubt we will be lucky enough to find a lonely travelling mage. Our best bets would be to steal horses and make it down to Strangle thorn. If we  _ are _ lucky though, we may be able to 'bribe' a mage before then. For now, we will head towards Duskwood. I hope you know we won't be able to rest for a good while?"

"I'll have to put up with that, yes." 

Faye had to agree that there was not much else that they could do. Right now, they couldn't just go about trying to force a mage to help them. They needed to put as much distance between them and Stormwind as possible. And so, they began walking, only to soon find that the stretch of relatively flat ground was about to run out, meaning they'd need to swim once again. 

Faye swore loudly. 

It was a good twenty minutes before they were finally free off the coast and had fully made it into the thick forestry of the adequately named 'Elwynn Forests'. Now, making progress would be much easier. Their walking continued into the ungodly hours of the night, where the sun began her rise, and Faye was beginning to very much feel like she could drop at any given moment. 

"Nathanos, I need to-" 

"No, we must keep moving. Stopping is too ris-" He had turned to face her and upon being able to visibly tell that she was exhausted beyond measure, resigned with a sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. 

"This would be much easier if you were undead." 

Faye gave him an intensely cold look.

"I'm sure it would, but I need to stop." Given their situation, she clearly wasn't afraid of putting her foot down, even though ordinarily she would hesitate to do so. Or perhaps it was just her being tired. He had after all, experienced that before. But Faye reckoned she had some breathing room with him, since she had rescued his ass. Perhaps that was why he even agreed to stop in the first place, once they found a somewhat secluded area that he deemed suitable. 

She was quick to settle down in the grass, and though by then she was dry, she still shivered violently. It was that time of the year when it began to get cold. But unfortunately, and even she recognised this, a fire would give them away and so was out of the question. 

"You're welcome, by the way." Faye had muttered tiredly as she used her arm as a pillow; letting her impossibly heavy eyelids fall shut. No audible response came from Nathanos and if he did say anything shortly after, it would've been too late, for she was out cold within seconds. She barely even moved at all when something was placed over top of her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in a row?! Why not. I suddenly ended up feeling really inspired to continue writing this, so here we are! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> As usual, I hope you are all doing okay! ^^


	8. Chapter 8

_ Oh how it was beautiful in Suramar. So much so, that it rivaled even Silvermoon. The city truly was breathtaking. With the ornate architecture itself, to how nature blended seamlessly, it was impossible not to feel at peace there, amongst all the blue and purple hues. Above the city, the night sky only added to the beauty of Suramar; the stars delicately casting an almost ethereal glow onto the city. Faye had gone there to visit Shiadrih, now that she was no longer needed. The war had been won, and the Alliance had accepted defeat. They had scurried away with their tails between their legs. Since then, many celebrations had been made for it seemed there was not much else wrong with the world. Azeroth's wounds had been mended and for the first time in forever, there was peace. Now, there was a lot of time to spare which many, including Faye, chose to spend on celebrating with their loved ones. They were sat upon a bench that looked out to the ocean which was as calm as the sky; glasses of arcwine in both their hands. Faye wore that precious sash that had been made for her like a scarf, to keep her warm against the chill ocean wind. They spoke for what seemed like hours, about all the little things about their lives from before everything had gone crazy. It was strange that someone she had only known for a couple of years had become perhaps one of the closest friends she had ever had. Oh how she wished moments like these were everything was right, and one had no worries to tend to, would last forever.  _

_ "So, when do you think you will finally find yourself a husband?" Shiadrih had chuckled, taking a sip from her wine.  _

_ "A husband? Well I-"  _

**"Fayeliel.."**

_ "I don't know about that… I have my eyes on someone as you know, but I don't know if-"  _

**"Faye!"**

Faye groaned and hugged her blanket closer, attempting to bury her face in it to ignore whoever it was that was nudging her awake. Wait, blanket? It was much too thick and…leathery to be a blanket. She cracked open an eye as she moved the thing away to have a better look at it. Her eyes widened upon realising that it was the coat that belonged to the rather irritated dark ranger who took it off her once he saw she was finally awake. The rogue flinched as the sudden warmth it had provided was snatched away. She had to force herself to not act like a child and whine about her 'blanket' being taken away. 

"We need to get a move on." Nathanos stated as he shook out his coat before shrugging it on. 

Faye slowly sat up, looking around her as if almost in a daze. It looked to be early morning, meaning she had only managed to sleep but a few hours. She was silent as her brain started to actually work, making her realise that Nathanos, who she knew to be a grumpy, snarky man that couldn't care less about others, had actually made the decision to sacrifice his coat in order to help keep her warm. Was he warming up to her, or was it just a matter of him not wanting her to be a burden by getting sick? Either way, it was almost enough to warrant a little redness to get cheeks. She cleared her throat and then glanced up at him, as he was adjusting his coat. 

"I... Thank y-" When she had cleared her throat, he had shifted his gaze to her, but the way that he was looking at her gave her pause. He stared at her for a moment, squinting his eyes slightly before she spied a subtle curve in the corner of his mouth. 

"What?" Faye suddenly felt extremely self conscious with the way he was staring at her. 

Nathanos simply turned his back to her while he put on his quiver. "You've clearly spent enough time with the Alliance to be turning into a tree elf."

For a moment, Faye was utterly confused as she slowly stood up. When she went to brush her hair out of her face, she understood what he had been getting at. Not only did she find a twig in her hair, but also two leaves. Alas, that was just one of the many downsides of sleeping in nature. 

"Oh ha ha. I was going to thank you for the coat but now I don't particularly want to." The rogue huffed as she picked at the… Decorations that littered her hair. Were it not for the fact that she was still extremely tired, she might've even been a little embarrassed. 

"I'm sure you would have similar results if you slept on the ground too." She muttered as she rubbed at her nose, which only aggravated a sneeze to force its way out of her. Faye followed that with an irritated sigh as she grabbed a band out of her satchel and tied her hair up into a particularly messy bun. At this point, Nathanos had already seen her at her worst, so she didn't really care much for keeping up appearances. 

"We will be heading towards Duskwood, as per our plan from yesterday. But should we come across a farm, you'll be able to stock up. Perhaps we will even be lucky enough to find horses. Now, get moving." Nathanos motioned with his hand for her to follow along with him, which she reluctantly agreed to. 

At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to continue sleeping. It wasn't like she had been given very long to rest, but Nathanos wasn't all that patient. She knew that. But she also knew that the danger of staying in one place for too long was very real and true. If they had trackers on their trail, even despite Nathanos being particularly careful, it put them at too much risk to stay put while she slept in. A low grumble of her stomach tore her away from her thoughts. By the Sunwell, Nathanos was right. This would be much easier if she were undead. She wouldn't have to worry about getting tired, sick, or even hungry. Right then, she was dealing with all three. 

"So what's this, the second time that I've saved you now?" Faye asked, breaking the silence around them as they walked. 

"I would say that we are more than even,  _ Champion _ . Unless you have forgotten all the instances of you getting injured like an idiot, and needing me to save  _ you _ ." Nathanos bit back, sparing her a brief glance that doubled as a glare that didn't hold as much 'hate' as she had expected. 

Faye huffed and absentmindedly fiddled with one of her bracer straps. He did have a point." You know, you don't have to keep calling me 'champion' and especially not in that tone. You're clearly capable of using my name." Evidently, she had gotten much braver with back talking to him since everything that had happened with the two. She very much doubted that after everything, that he'd snap and throw her to the dogs.  _ Alliance _ dogs, that is. It was very possible that she was just making stupid assumptions, but she reckoned that he did enjoy her company in some ways, otherwise she doubted he'd have put up with her for as long as he had. 

"Could you be quiet for just two seconds,  _ Fayeliel?"  _ Nathanos had retorted, very purposefully using the same exact tone of which he usually used when referring to her as 'champion', but with her name instead. 

"I see how it is." The rogue huffed, despite the amusement that laced her voice as she spoke. It wasn't like there was anything better to do than pester the only real company she finally had after almost a month of barely talking to anyone. Clearly he wasn't of the same mind, but that didn't stop her from trying to talk with him, even if it was just to make jabs. But for now, Faye decided to leave it be. If it wasn't for the fact that they were in Alliance territory with the threat of them being discovered behind them, it would've been peaceful. With the birds overhead singing their songs; completely oblivious to what happened around them, and with the clear skies over the trees, it was not hard to feel relaxed in some ways. 

For a while, Faye wasn't really paying attention to much, other than to put one foot in front of the other. She allowed herself to just get lost in her random musings, and eventually had started to quietly hum to herself which surprisingly didn't irk Nathanos. Since departing from their makeshift camp, her symptoms had progressively made themselves more known in the form of occasional sneezes and coughs, much to both of their annoyances. All of a sudden whilst she had been evidently lost in thought , she was pulled back by an arm around her waist, and pressed against a tree, with a not very pleased Nathanos. 

"Pay attention, idiot!" He'd growled quietly before gesturing towards a pair of soldiers walking in the distance; his fiery glare almost making her want to shrink away. That time, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that the look he'd given her was one he meant. 

Were it not for him pulling her back, Faye would've kept walking and likely been spotted. She wasn't anywhere near as focused as usual, which was very likely to be a combination of everything that was wrong with her at that time. Still, she felt heat rise into her cheeks not only at the shame of having almost gotten caught, resulting in the insult by Nathanos, but also with how close he had held her. Granted, Faye knew that had just been to keep her from walking, and also to keep her out of sight. But that didn't stop her from thinking that he could have just grabbed her by her arm and yanked her back. She also knew that these were definitely not the things that she should be focusing on, but rather the fact that there were clearly soldiers nearby, who she had almost been caught by. 

Nathanos had caught on to her reaction by then, resulting in an annoyed but quiet sigh from him; that glare of his faltering for just the briefest of moments before returning. It looked as though he wanted to say something for a moment, but decided against it. His attention turned back to closely watching the soldiers. Once they were out of sight, he moved away without another word. 

Faye had hesitated before following after him; this time staying alert in case any other soldiers were even remotely nearby. She wouldn't be jumping at the opportunity of slipping up again, so she could be insulted. Nothing was said between the two for a while after that, and Faye trailed some ways behind him, mainly so that if she missed something, then at least she'd have ample time to hopefully snap out of her thoughts, and take appropriate action. 

Nothing else happened for a while and the two barely spoke at all in the following hours before something that looked very much like a farm came into view. Farms usually meant horses, something which the both of them would be glad to have. It also meant food, and by the titans, Faye could just about eat a devilsaur. According to a Zandalari she had spoken to though, they were not all that appealing to eat.

"I want to do this without killing anyone. Those people are innocent." Faye stated firmly whilst crouched by a bush alongside Nathanos. Though she knew it made her soft, she very much despised the idea of killing anyone that was innocent. Sure the farmers provided food for the soldiers, but she wouldn't feel right about killing them. She could only hope Nathanos would respect her wishes in that.

"Fine. I will retrieve the horses whilst you will find whatever it is that you require." Nathanos hadn't looked pleased about Faye requesting that they don't kill anyone, but after some thought had agreed. Their deaths would've been suspicious. So despite otherwise wanting to jump at the opportunity of bringing down more Alliance, not wanting to bring the soldiers closer to them heavily outweighed that desire. 

"Understood." Faye nodded her head, though she kept her gaze upon the farm for a short moment. 

Now though, they would have to play the waiting game. Either they had to wait until the two workers went elsewhere, or they would have to wait for night. The latter would take a long time, seeing as there was still plenty of daylight left. It was little more than midday. 

And so, the two moved to a more comfortable position atop a hill; tucked away in a nest of trees that kept them out of sight. This was also when Faye remembered the fact that she still had an almost full bottle of wine on her belt. How she had forgotten about it, she had absolutely no clue. It was a widely known fact that she was a bit of a fiend when it came to drinks, something which had gotten her into all sorts of trouble in the past. She never learnt from her mistakes though. 

Getting herself comfortable with her back resting against a tree while she sat in the grass, Faye grinned to herself. 

She pulled the bottle free from where it had been tucked into her belt and with an incredibly satisfying pop, unscrewed the cork from the mouth of it. 

"It's barely midday, and you are already drinking?" 

Faye could feel the judgement in Nathanos's gaze, though she chose to ignore his comment by taking a large gulp of the bitter sweet drink. When she had drunk it the previous day, she had barely felt the effects of it over the intense adrenaline rush that had followed it all. But she very much felt the temptation to just down the entire thing, even despite Nathanos being present. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't in desperate need of a drink, though she was never one to turn such a thing down. 

A content sigh escaped the rogue's lips as she gazed up at the sky; swirling the liquid about in the bottle. It then struck her that she had gotten awfully comfortable around Nathanos, someone who she previously could barely meet the gaze of. She supposed that with what the two had been together, it was only natural that she would grow more comfortable, especially with how evident it was that he had her back, just as much as she had his. It was a mutual companionship that had saved both of their lives on multiple occasions, despite the snark that each of them threw at one another. For a few minutes, she kept to herself, just staring up at the sky and drinking from her bottle occasionally. 

She lowered her gaze from the sky and settled it upon Nathanos who chose to spend his time tending to his weaponry. She scooted a little closer to him before holding out the bottle of wine; offering it to him. 

When Nathanos turned his attention away from his hatchet and to the bottle that was offered to him, he couldn't help the dry huff of amusement. "You should know by now that we have no use for such things." 'We' meaning the undead, of course. 

Faye only responded with a shrug before taking another swig of it herself. "I heard that it is possible for Forsaken to get drunk, only it takes some really strong, vile stuff. Care to give your input on that? " Genuinely interested in the answer, she watched him with that glint of curiosity in her gaze. 

Nathanos frowned as he placed down his axe, looking to be considering whether or not to entertain her curiosity or not. After a short moment, he made up his mind. 

"Though I have no idea as to why this information is useful to you in the slightest, it is possible. Why?" He'd narrowed his eyes at her slightly, as though suspicious of her intentions with the question. 

"Genuine curiosity. I don't really know much about the Forsaken. Up until the Legion attacked, I spent much of my time as a mercenary in Quel'thalas. Not a place where many Forsaken tend to visit. And if they did, I wasn't exactly going to pester them with strange questions. " Faye's attention flickered back down to the bottle in her hand. By the light it felt good to be able to just relax for a moment, with a bottle of wine to entertain herself with. 

" And yet you see your Commander fit for such questions." Nathanos wasn't particularly impressed with how Faye seemed to want to continue prying him for information. 

"I'd like to think you'd be more willing to sate my curiosity than a stranger. Besides, what else is there to do while we wait? Sit and brood or make snarky comments at each other?" Faye quirked a brow as she regarded him with something between a smirk and a smile tickling her lips. 

"You are fortunate that I have put up with you for as long as I have. Going against my better judgement, I've  _ clearly _ let you get away with too much." He'd shot her a glare that wasn't as convincing as it could have been. It only gained the reaction of Faye's little smirk becoming more visible. 

Unlike what she would've expected from him, he wasn't quite as cold and dismissive as usual, something which she strangely enjoyed. It was a welcome change for sure. 

'So, " Faye took another long sip. On an empty stomach, it would've been wise to take the drinking slowly. Or better yet, not drink at all. But she was bored, and could not resist the temptation. 

"I'm curious… How does alcohol affect you? You're not exactly a standard undead, after all." Perhaps it was the steady onset of the effects of the wine, but Faye found it much easier to hold eye contact with him then, even when he seemed intent on glaring at her. Usually him doing so meant she would immediately shrink away, but not that time. 

"What does it matter to you? If you're planning to get me drunk, th-" 

"Of course not. I'm just curious, that's all. No need to be so paranoid,  _ Commander."  _ Faye chuckled softly, feeling brave enough to just twist her tone enough to where it bordered on being teasing. 

That was enough for Nathanos to truly glare at her before he suddenly grabbed Faye by the front of her armour , almost causing the spillage of the precious bottle of wine as he pulled her onto her feet. The intensity of his red eyes flared up as his gaze searched hers. 

"You have been getting brave with the way you speak to me,  _ Champion.  _ I suggest you remind yourself of exactly who it is that you are speaking to, or do you need a reminder?" His voice lowered as he spoke, only adding to the dangerous acrimony that laced it with every intent of driving his point across.

With her burning under the intensity of his glare, Faye had suddenly returned to her hold ways of shying away from meeting his gaze. This only irked Nathanos further, for he grabbed her by the chin; pointedly making her look at him. And so, she reluctantly gave in. 

"I apologise, Commander. I made the mistake of believing there had formed some companionship between us, given everything." It was by some miracle that Faye managed to get all of that out without faltering in the slightest. Her voice had carried tones of bitterness that obviously did not go unnoticed by Nathanos. 

His grip tightened, toeing the line of becoming painful for her." And what  _ exactly _ made you think that?" The dark ranger narrowed his gaze once more; the initial intensity of the fire in his eyes had dimmed marginally, though was still very much present. 

Faye was uncertain of how to properly respond to that. There had been so many little things over the course of the last couple of months that gave her the idea that perhaps by some completely unexpected chance, that he had started to warm up to her. Right then, she was starting to believe that she had been wrong about that, but part of her also wanted to believe that this was just Nathanos being Nathanos. She wasn't sure which to go with. 

"Good." And with that, he let go of her chin. Only, when he had done so, his thumb had moved in very slightly and briefly brushed along her skin, just barely grazing her bottom lip for a split second. That fleeting action was followed by him letting go of her with the rest of his fingers immediately. It was done in a way where it could have easily been purely accidental. But somehow with the almost gentleness of the action, Faye found herself unsure of what exactly that had been. To her, it had felt a hair's width away from almost being a caress. She wasn't sure what to think, but Nathanos had moved away immediately after that. A quiet sigh of release escaped her lungs once he had moved away, as though she had been holding her breath. It was very likely that she had been, but wouldn't have been aware of it. 

After that, Faye had clearly gotten the message and seated herself as far away as possible from him, given their location. She had even been put off from finishing her drink, which she had chosen to save for later. 

Then, it was back to waiting, all the while a confused and by then somewhat tipsy Faye was sat wondering whether or not she had been overthinking everything. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried to focus this chapter a bit more on some interaction between Faye and the grumpy Dark Ranger. Not too sure if I like how it turned out, but I have a few things planned for future updates.
> 
> As always, thank you for taking the time to read through this. I apologise for any formatting and or spelling errors. I write everything on my phone! ^^


	9. Chapter 9

Nathanos had grown increasingly impatient. There had yet to be any real opportunity to move in. After less than an hour or so of watching the workers at the farm, he stood up from where he'd been sat; absentmindedly polishing his axes and otherwise making sure everything was still in top shape. His gaze flickered over to the suspiciously still form of Faye, only to find that she had fallen asleep at some point during their wait. Biting back the urge to wake her, the dark ranger made the decision to grab what they needed from the farm, stealth be damned. Despite knowing that it would put the Alliance on their trail, he also was well aware that sitting around would do them no good either, though Faye obviously had no qualms with that. For lack of wanting her to be a nuisance, he'd let her stay put. After all, he was more than capable of carrying out a task so simple as to steal a pair of horses from a farm. And food, lest Faye start chewing on the horses instead. 

Barely having walked three steps, he was suddenly stopped when a tired muttering voice broke the silence. 

"Planning to ditch me, were you?" She'd yawned as she forced herself onto her feet, even though she was evidently still tired. Pushing away a couple of strands that had gotten themselves loose from her bun whilst sleeping, she walked up to him; a questioning look in her eyes. It wouldn't surprise her if he said yes. 

"You were supposed to stay asleep." Nathanos had turned his head in her direction as she approached him; regarding her with some form of mild irritation. 

"But no. You've proven yourself too useful for me to just abandon you, although perhaps I should have done so long ago." Even though he both looked and sounded entirely serious, there was just a very slight glint in his eyes that hinted at that not fully being the case. 

Faye said nothing to that, her only response being the subtle twitch of her lips. It had looked as though she had wanted to smirk at his comment, but forced the reaction down. 

"Since you are up now anyway, you might as well make yourself useful. I don't wish to waste any more time sitting around. The original plan still stands. I trust you have not forgotten it." Nathanos looked down at her as he adjusted the quiver upon his back slightly; awaiting an answer. 

"I get the food, you get the horses. Not exactly difficult to remember."

Faye had huffed as she began to carefully head down the hill; keeping a sharp watch upon the farm to avoid being seen as she approached. Her tone had been surprisingly cold, so much so it had caught even herself off-guard. His words earlier had stung, and evidently left a lingering bad taste in her mouth. Even though she knew it was a stretch to even have the thought that perhaps she was more than another tool at his disposal, she had hoped that wasn't the case. That perhaps they were slowly reaching waters where they understood one another, and had some form of companionship. 

From Nathanos's reaction, she had obviously been mistaken. But at the same time, she couldn't help but realise the fact that as had been proven in the past, he did go out of his way for her much more so than others they worked with. 

Faye hadn't bothered wasting more time on discussing the plan of action, being that it was straightforward, before heading towards the farm. Not only that, but she was very much aware of the gnawing hunger she was suffering from. That was something she hoped to remedy. 

The rogue still stood by her word however, of not wanting to _kill_ anyone. Killing wasn't an option for her, but there were other methods of which she could utilise. 

As soon as Faye neared the small farm, the sound of work filled her ears. Someone was drawing water up from a well, and another tinkering with something metallic, as far as she could tell. Perhaps lady luck finally decided to bless her, for a small stack of crates came into view as soon as she poked her head around the corner of the main building. They were stacked up near the stable, and close to a cart. At the top of the pile was an open crate that had yet to be filled completely. But from the distance she was at, she was almost certain that it held loafs of bread. Most likely, they would be heading off with their goods to sell at the nearest town. That also meant that the goods were likely to be fresh. At least that meant she wouldn't have to poke around inside to find some food. 

Needless to say, their 'mission' turned out to be successful; even managing to avoid any deaths, which Faye was very much happy about. Though, she was much more happy to finally have some food to eat. Her little sniffles and sneezes had grown more frequent, much to her dismay. At least hunger wouldn't be an issue for her any longer. 

Nathanos had insisted that they cover some ground before letting Faye sit down and enjoy her food properly. Being that it felt like her stomach was in the process of consuming itself, she gnawed away at a hunk of bread while they rode, briefly feeling her heart drop as said bread almost fell from her hand. At that point though, they weren't that far off Duskwood, and had yet to run into any wandering mages. It looked like they really would have to do things the long, tedious way. And that was to travel from where they were now, all the way down to Booty Bay to hop aboard the ship that travelled between there and the Barrens. At least there they would be in friendly territory. If they were lucky, they could skip the boat journey and find a mage willing to assist in the pirate town. Faye was sure Nathanos could 'convince' them, should they happen upon one. 

Both of them were quite content with the new travel speed provided by the horses they had stolen. At first, the mare that ended up with Nathanos was absolutely resisting. Nostrils flaring and rearing up as soon as the ranger even neared her. In fact, it had fallen in Faye to escort horses away because neither of the animals seemed all that comfortable around Nathanos, though the mare was certainly more volatile. Only by knocking the nearby farmhand unconscious, had they been able to slip away unseen. 

Once they had made it out of sight from the farm, things went relatively smoothly. Well, once Nathanos managed to get his horse under control. From Fayes' perspective, it was absolutely hilarious to watch her Commander struggle to rein in the mare, though eventually he succeeded. He had been surprisingly patient with the animal, something which Faye would've never imagined in a hundred years. He was quite literally the opposite of that in any other matter. 

Since then, they travelled at a good pace as the clear skies overhead gradually began to grey; clouds rolling in from the West that progressively grey darker and drew closer. Already miserable enough with everything else, the elf found herself wishing on some miracle that whatever weather that was rolling in would show mercy upon them. 

Soon, the lush green trees began to similarly have colour drain from them; turning them dull and dark, bringing back many unpleasant memories of Drustvar. Nathanos slowed his horse to a stop just as they arrived at the river that separated Elwynn from Duskwood. A little ways to the left was a relatively large stone bridge that allowed safe passage across the waters. By then, the sky above was almost completely filled to the brim with depressive clouds that looked ready to spill their contents at any dreaded moment. Faye found herself glaring up at said clouds with contempt. 

Apparently the look she unleashed upon the heavens warranted them to fight back. The first light shower of rain began to fall; tiny droplets making their arrival known by splashing the rogue directly in the face, earning an annoyed growl. Her annoyance was cut short by the sound of genuine amusement from Nathanos which caught her off guard. 

"There appears to be room enough to take shelter under the bridge until this passes. It wouldn't do us any good if you got worse from this." Nathanos dismounted the horse he'd ridden upon; red gaze scanning around their immediate surroundings before finding Fayeliel. 

"Get out of the rain. I will sort our mounts." 

Nathanos stood, waiting expectantly as Faye gave him a curious look. 

With a shrug, the elf had slid down from her horse; feet landing with the slightest of thuds upon the ground before she then handed him the reins, so that he could lead the horses away. After that, Faye wasted absolutely no time in taking cover under the bridge from the light rainfall. There was just enough room that one could comfortably sit upon the raised river bank, and still be safe from the 'onslaught' of falling water droplets. Using the spare time they had anyway whilst waiting the rain out, she decided to eat. That tiny bit of bread during their travel hadn't done much for her at all. She'd managed to acquire some fruits, bread and dried meats. Whilst picking at her food and awaiting Nathanos' return, Faye found herself once more confused by his actions. As it happened, she did not have long to dwell within her thoughts for the Dark Ranger soon made his return; dark, wet hair clinging to his face in various places though he looked entirely unbothered by it.

Perhaps it was perfect timing that he made his return for not even a minute after that he had taken shelter next to Faye, had the downpour grown in intensity; a soft fog beginning to form, laying like a thick blanket atop the ground. 

They sat there in silence while Faye kept herself busy by eating the rest of the bread she had started earlier on their travel. It almost felt as though there was some tension in the air. 

"You are being unnervingly silent, Fayeliel." 

She chose not to humour him with a response, nor did she even glance in his direction. He had made his point, after all. According to how he had reacted, they were evidently quite far from any form of companionship, even though his other actions definitely did not support that claim. 

"Oh? The silent treatment, is it?" Nathanos scoffed with a hint of dry amusement laced within his otherwise characteristically cold voice. His gaze had shifted from watching the rain outside of their little sheltered spot, and settled upon Faye. In the relative darkness caused by the overcast, the red glow of his eyes stood out in stark contrast, as did the rogues' own golden ones. 

Once again, Faye ignored him; having made the decision that moment to piss him off. She wasn't exactly pleased with him and felt she could at least allow herself that. His words back then had stung. Faye finished the final bite of her bread; glad to finally have a somewhat full stomach. It felt good, especially so when her situation for a long time before then had not been all that great food-wise. She was certain she had lost weight in the time they'd been locked up. Right then, the rogue truly did miss Zulduzar, even though it was disgustingly hot and stank of reptiles. Despite that, it had become her home, or the closest thing she had to that. _H_ ome… Oh how she missed sleeping in her comfortable bed, drowning in the sea of soft, plump pillows that she kept. 

Perhaps he had given up on trying to talk to her, or just simply didn't care, for Nathanos didn't poke at her after that. Faye definitely felt he at least deserved the dreaded silent treatment. After all, that was what he had given her for a good portion of the time they were locked up in the stockades. Revisiting that portion of their time brought another question to light, one that she wasn't going to keep to herself. She turned her head to look at Nathanos who at that point had just been casting a glare out at the stream that was uncomfortably close to their feet. If the rain kept going for too long, it would overflow and they would be forced to move anyway. 

"Did you know about my plan?" 

Her question clearly caught his attention, for his gaze moved to meet her own. 

"To earn their trust?" 

Faye nodded slightly. 

Nathanos considered his words for a moment. "Yes. I figured I knew you well enough to know that you weren't the traitor. It wouldn't make sense, given some things you were not made aware of, and yet that information still had… leaked." 

He paused briefly as his fiery gaze searched gold. 

"But in order to earn their trust, you had to give information. You are very much now exactly that which you pretended to be. No doubt what you have done will have had dire consequences." His gaze narrowed. 

At that, Faye both looked and felt uncomfortable."I did what I had to. Things didn't happen the way I had expected, but at least we got out. If I am to be tried as a traitor for saving both of us, well, I suppose I don't have much of a say in the manner." She crossed her arms as she spoke, refusing to meet his gaze again. For a while, silence enveloped the two once more. The temperature around them gradually became cooler and soon Faye found herself to be fighting against shivering. Eventually, she chose to break the silence again. 

"You said that you knew what I was going to do, but you almost killed me that day." She still very vividly remembered thinking that that was the exact moment where her streak of luck was finally going to run out. Her death would've been at the cold hands of the person she had been trying to help escape. And she had seen it in his eyes that day too. There had been no question in her mind that he had been entirely serious. Until that was, that she was witness to what she perceived to be some internal conflict that had breached the surface; becoming visible in the inferno within his eyes. 

_Silence_. 

The only sound that could be heard was the heavy rain that fell upon the surface of the stream; playing its own song, oblivious to the world around it. 

With no answer from Nathanos, Faye decided to push the subject again. 

"I saw it in you, Nathanos. A few more seconds and you would've been successful," Her hand reached up to her throat almost absentmindedly as she went through the memories of that day. A soft frown worked its way onto her face. 

"yet something stopped you. I saw that too." She finally looked over at him again, where she met his gaze. 

"I came to my senses, that is all." And yet, both of them knew his answer wasn't fully truthful, and from the look that passed between them, they both also knew that the other did. 

Once more, there was an extended period of silence where neither of them really acknowledged the others presence; simply existing and waiting for the rain outside to let up. It had grown increasingly cold, making the elf wish that she could huddle up by a fire and keep warm. All she could do was hug her knees up to her chest and wait it out. 

That was until Nathanos wordlessly removed his bracers that sat stop the sleeves of his coat, which was then followed by him pulling off his coat and tossing it at her. Evidently, he had taken notice of her shivering. 

Faye hesitated as she looked at him uncertainly, almost as though she expected him to make a biting remark though that didn't happen. Instead, he just went back to staring outside, not even awaiting a reaction from her. 

She bit the inside of her cheek as she shuffled a bit; adjusting his coat so that it covered her up from the wind that funneled under the bridge, which it did a very good job of. Where one might have expected to be able to feel the stored warmth of the other person that had worn it, there was a noticeable lack of that. But for some reason, the act within itself was enough to fill her with a gentle warmth. 

"Thank you.." 

He didn't even glance in her direction.

\-----------------------------

Eventually the rain had cleared up again, meaning the two of them were well on their way, already making a good bit of progress inside of Duskwood. That place was filled to the brim with bandits, undead and really just not things that you want to run into. Oh and of course, there were also the Alliance prowling around, who were more than likely notified of certain horde prisoners having escaped. They would have to stay alert whilst travelling through these woods, that much was certain. 

As had become the norm for them, neither of them made the effort to speak whilst they travelled. Now without the coat to help keep her warm, Faye was feeling the biting winds once more. Her own gear did an alright job of keeping her insulated, but the leather of her armour was thinner to allow for much more mobility, in lieu of more protection. She did rather wish that she had made the decision to wear her hooded cloak on the original mission, for that would've meant she was able to wear that now. Alas, that wasn't the case and all the rogue could do was grit her teeth and put up with it. 

It was eerily quiet. The horses were especially feeling spooked by the area they were in. For lack of wanting to be jumped by whatever lurked out there, and for the dense trees, they were forced to keep to the paths within the forest. Still, that did nothing to lessen the unease. Faye was certain that Nathanos felt it too, for she had caught him glancing around them multiple times. There was a certain air of tension, and Faye found herself expecting any moment to be assassinated. Even as they rode through the trees with good speed, that feeling didn't lessen. 

Were they being followed, or was it just the nature of the woods themselves that put one at such unease?

"We are being watched!" 

As soon as Nathanos had said that and kicked his horse into full speed, a rifle had gone off. That had been more than enough to kickstart Fayes' horse to follow suit after Nathanos. Normally, they would fight their attackers without question, but without knowing how many or where exactly they were, it was risky, especially so when they had the element of surprise. 

Keeping her head down to help lessen the possibility of the back of her head being filled with shot, Fayes' visibility of the path was lessened. She could only trust that her horse would understand to follow the two infront. 

A loud howl broke the silence once more. _Worgen._ No doubt they had been following them for a while. Their affliction made them impressive trackers so it was almost a surprise that they hadn't caught up to them yet. She could just barely hear the sound of hooves behind her. Faye spared a glance over her shoulder. There were three after them, from what she could see. Two upon the same horse with one of them aiming a shot directly at her. She only just managed to lean to the side to avoid the bullet. It grazed the leather of her bracer. 

Faye swore under her breath and kept her gaze on the path; barely able to hear much over the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. She hadn't noticed until then that the ground on their left side had started to slope. Another shot went off that missed. 

_If their aim is that bad, we have nothing to worry about_ , Faye found herself thinking. 

From behind, she heard one of them bark something in common that she didn't quite understand or hear properly. The only thing she was really able to pick out from what had been said was something about their horses. 

_Bang._

All of a sudden, Faye found herself flung off her horse as its legs gave out. She was almost certain she had heard Nathanos call out. The high speed of which they had been riding at meant that the tumble was dramatic for both elf and horse. She must've been tossed quite far because she didn't hit the ground immediately. With a heavy thud, the breath from her lungs was knocked out completely, and Faye found herself to be rolling down the side of the hill and unable to stop. Something crunched inside the bag that she kept upon her hip as she braced herself for the chance that she might slam into a tree. Somehow, that didn't happen, but a searing sharp pain close to her shoulder blades suddenly erupted just as she came to a rolling stop at the bottom of the hill. 

Gasping for breath from being winded by the initial impact, Faye fumbled around to pull out her gun, only to find it was missing. It must've fallen out during her unfortunate tumble. A pair of orange glowing eyes stuck out against the darkness that shrouded the forest. She barely managed to notice it in time. The worgen leapt out from behind the tree and pounced at her with impressive speed; directing his deadly set of teeth at her throat. Only at the very last second before her throat was torn to shreds, had she been able to drive her dagger up into his chest. It was only by luck that she managed to strike it somewhere that put a stop in him. Within seconds of choking upon his own blood, did he fall limp on top of her. Once again, she had been within an inch of her life, leaving her wondering just when her luck would finally run out. Surely her 9 lives had run out by now… 

Now, she had a new issue to deal with. A large beast made of pure strength and muscle was effectively keeping her pinned down under his weight, even in death, and she knew there were two others. With a groan of effort, she attempted to move the beast off of her. Only after fighting against him for a good few seconds was she finally able to move him off enough that she could drag herself free. But before she was able to do so, a branch snapped. 

"Edward? No!" She heard the pained growl of a worgen who had made it to the scene. She set her eyes upon the elf; a blazing fury raging within her wild eyes. The she-wolf made a step towards her; snarling and her fur bristling. 

"You will-" An arrow buried itself deep into the side of the worgens' skull, with Nathanos stepping into view. 

His gaze fell upon Faye and she saw genuine concern in it. Placing his bow onto his back, he was at her side almost immediately, moving the dead worgen off of her to allow her to sit up. 

"Are you hurt?" Nathanos crouched down beside her as his intense gaze scanned over her for any visible sign of injury. It lingered on the blood upon her face for a moment before realising it was not her own. Faye assumed he had taken out the third already, else she doubted he would let his guard down like that. 

"I think I'm alright." Faye replied breathlessly as she shifted a bit to rest her back against the tree, only to find that her back screamed in protest. Immediately she drew away, hissing quietly. The dark ranger took notice of that and moved to inspect the area; his brow furrowing into a slight frown. 

It wasn't a particularly large cut, but it was deep enough to certainly need tending to. During her sliding fall down the hill, her back had been caught by either a stone, or a bit of sharp wood. It had cut clean through her armour and into her vulnerable flesh underneath. 

"That will need to be taken care of, lest it grow infected." Nathanos stood once again; briefly looking around at the mess around them, before returning his attention to Faye. He held his hand out to help her onto her feet, which she hesitantly accepted. 

"What about you? Are you hurt?" Faye asked once she was steadily on her feet, her eyes searching his. Her question only made him scoff in amusement which was enough of an answer in itself. 

"We will need to move further away from the path before your wound can be taken care of. It would not be wise to stick around here." 

Faye nodded, having finally calmed down a bit from the whole ordeal. She pushed away the hair that had come free from the tie after her crash landing, though it soon blew into her face again. 

They began walking away from the scene, confirming Fayes' suspicions that their horses were gone. Or so she thought. They rounded a small cluster of trees where the grey mare came into view; tied against the trunk of one of the trees. 

"The other is dead. We will have to share for now." Nathanos spoke as he untied the horse, not wasting any time in getting into the saddle. 

Faye nodded slightly and then pulled herself onto the horse as well, after some struggling. Her back injury made its yells of protest, though she pushed past it and successfully made it onto the horse. Even though she had been incredibly lucky so far, everything was beginning to wear her down. She felt like shit. In fact she felt so incredibly like death itself that she barely even cared about having to hold around Nathanos in order to not fall off once the horse got going, though she thought she felt him tense. Her head was jumbled and almost lightheaded. It was most likely a combination of everything that had happened. She wanted nothing more than to just crawl into bed and hibernate for a decade or two. Or to drink herself to the point of passing out. Neither was an option.

After some time, and she wasn't sure how long, they came to a stop. Nathanos had made the decision that they were far enough away that it would be safe to assess the damage Faye had taken. Once Faye groggily realised they had stopped, she moved her arms out from around him and slid off the horse. Nathanos did the same and tied the mare up to a tree once more. 

The rogue rather sluggishly found a somewhat comfortable spot to sit down in, where she did exactly that. With a quiet sigh, she attempted to reach back to have a feel at her wound, only to find it was almost impossible for her to properly reach it. It was in that annoying spot where one had to twist a lot to be able to reach comfortably. 

Nathanos watched her struggle for a few seconds before moving over to her. "You won't be able to reach that."

"Thanks for stating the obvious." Faye bit back as an annoyed sigh escaped her. She was then reminded of her potions back which she cautiously opened up. The contents inside revealed what the crunch had been. Most of what she kept inside were shattered. Faye closed her eyes for a moment, as she breathed out sharply in irritation. Instead of rummaging through it and cutting herself on the glass, she unclipped the bag and then poured the contents out onto the floor. 

"Oh, lucky me." The elf muttered to herself as she picked up a small intact bottle of clear liquid. Her bottle of emergency running alcohol had survived the fall. She always kept a small first aid kit with her at all times. Unfortunately the bandages were unable to be used, as one of her poison vials had leaked onto it. Not exactly something one would want on an open wound. Her crimson vials had also fallen victim, much to her dismay. 

Now, she would just need some cloth. Her gaze wandered over to the mare. Or more specifically, what was on the mare, underneath the saddle. Just as she was about to get up to fetch it, Nathanos had apparently read her mind and went to retrieve it for her. 

When he came back with the cloth, he held out his hand for her to give him the bottle. Faye hesitated before giving it to him. She had been prepared to tend to the wound herself, even though she knew she was likely to miss parts of it, from lack of both being able to see, and reach. 

She watched as Nathanos quietly removed his gloves before he cut a square out from the saddle blanket, using one of her daggers. Then, he pulled the cork from the bottle and soaked the cloth in it. 

"Take off your armour and whatever else you have on underneath." Nathanos ordered as he shifted Faye so her back was to him. 

" _What?"_

She heard him sigh. "I can't clean it properly if you don't. So unless you want it become infected-" 

"Fine, fine. But look away." Faye muttered as she began to remove the armour that sat on her torso. Even though he most definitely was right and had a point, it didn't stop her face from burning up in embarrassment, despite it only being her back that would be visible to him. When she had succeeded in removing her armour, she hesitated before pulling off her undershirt which immediately had her exposed to the cold. Faye brought both the shirt and her knees up to her chest both to shield herself from the cold, and from sight. The last piece she wore would most certainly not be taken off, even if it did get in the way a bit. Even so, she felt incredibly vulnerable and exposed. But she wasn't going to risk infection just because of it. 

"There." 

Nathanos said nothing but she heard him shuffle closer. She flinched as soon as she felt his hand upon her back. It was noticeably colder than the air around them. 

"I haven't done anything yet." Came the voice of Nathanos who sounded vaguely amused. Then, she felt the wet cloth around the edges of her wound where he was wiping away the blood to get a better look. Without warning, he swiped the cloth over the actual injury itself. 

Faye immediately hissed out in pain as the already painful wound now felt like it was on fire. "No warning?" She asked bitterly through gritted teeth. 

"It makes no difference. Now sit _still."_ He had used that tone of voice that he always did when barking orders. 

The elf bit back the urge of snapping back at him. It wasn't fair for her to do so anyway, since he was only trying to help, though perhaps not in the most careful way. A good couple of very painful minutes passed as he thoroughly cleaned the wound, whilst she hugged her shirt closer to her chest, trying to stay quiet. 

With what was left in the bottle, he used to douse the saddle cloth in before cutting that into strips too as a makeshift bandage. 

"Move your arms. This needs to be bandaged." 

Faye didn't move at first. She _really_ hated being exposed like that, and especially in front of him, of all people, even if he didn't seem to care. 

" _Faye_.." 

Reluctantly the rogue did as told even though at that point both her back and face felt like they were on fire. He made no comments though, and simply moved on to bandage the wound up as best as possible given the far from ideal 'bandages' they had. She did appreciate that he seemed to be very careful in wrapping the bandages around her, especially so when he had to reach around her front. It didn't lessen her embarrassment though. 

"That's the best I can do, however it should be enough." Nathanos finally announced as he moved away from Faye.

She wasted no time in immediately throwing on her undershirt which was very much bloodstained, though there was nothing to be done for that. Then, she shrugged on her torso armour and re-secured her bracers and pauldrons. 

After that she finally faced Nathanos, who had kept his back turned to her whilst she covered herself up again. 

Faye hesitated before getting up onto her feet and moved over to him. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Nathanos." Her brows knitted together to a slight frown. "You have done a lot for me." 

As he had turned his head to look at her, she had seen the shift in his gaze and body language. At first it had seemed like he was about to reprimand for daring to touch him, but then a soft change had occurred. 

"Wouldn't want you to become a nuisance with a festering wound." His response had been disingenuous, leading her to believe there was definitely more to why he had helped her, not to mention the visible concern that had been in his eyes. 

"Of course not, " Faye replied as she was slowly coming over the surprise of him not smacking her hand away. 

"But I do hope I haven't been too much of an annoyance… I do know that it's not exactly all that efficient to travel with someone that isn't… Well-" 

"Dead?" Nathanos turned to fully face her, making her move her hand away. "It is inconvenient, agreed. Were it not for your usefulness, I doubt I would have bothered to keep you at my side." Something flickered in his gaze for just the briefest of moments. 

"When it is that we return, I will ensure you are not held accountable for what you did to escape. That much I owe you, for choosing to free me." There it was. A certain sincerity in his voice that was very much unlike him. 

Faye felt her heart going a little quicker as a reaction to both the tone in his voice, and that subtle change in his usually cold gaze. 

"I didn't realise that was an option. Like I said, I have not forgotten what you have done for me recently. We have a lot to thank each other for, I suppose." The elf smiled softly up at him and for the briefest of moments, she saw the hint of one on his face too. 

"You still have blood on your face." Nathanos suddenly stated; completely changing the topic.

Faye looked confused for a moment before she went to wipe at her face with her arm. That only caused the dark ranger to frown as he used a scrap of the fabric to swipe away at a part of her cheek that she had completely missed. 

"You know… you're very confusing, Nathanos." Faye replied softly as he wiped away the remnants of the Worgens' blood from her face. 

He gave her a questioning look in response to her statement. 

"Your words say one thing, but your actions something else entirely. You said I was little more than a useful tool to you, and yet from what you have done, I know that not to be true." 

Nathanos drew his hand away as he narrowed his fiery gaze at her. 

"Don't push it, Fayeliel…"

The rogue sighed quietly. Once again, he did a complete one eighty. It was almost as though he himself didn't know what the hell was going on either. 

"At the risk of dramatically over-stepping…" Faye paused as she searched his eyes. "I would like to think that that is not the case. You can deny it all you want, but I think there's a mutual bond here. You certainly don't-" 

Nathanos had backed her up against a tree, clearly not caring about her back injury anymore at that point. 

"I told you not to push it, _Faye_." He looked angry, but not as convincingly as she thought he should. 

Once again, her heart was hammering away at her chest, in fact she almost thought it might break free. 

"Even if what you say is even remotely true, what difference does it make?" Nathanos exhaled sharply in irritation as he glared down at her, the intensity of his eyes seeking to make her shy away. 

Faye was shocked. He didn't downright deny it that time. Had he finally accepted the fact that his lies weren't going to do much in convincing her? Somehow, she didn't recoil under his burning gaze because she knew with confidence that he wouldn't hurt her. Or perhaps she was simply delusional and any moment now he would finish what he had started back in Stormwind, and that she had simply misunderstood everything. She found herself unable to think up a proper response. And maybe it was just the weight of everything that had happened that made it so she wasn't thinking clearly. 

But she pulled him in closer and brought her lips up to his, not even stopping to think of the consequences it could have. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a lengthy chapter today ^^ As always, hope you enjoyed and let me know any feedback you have. I find myself struggling sometimes to keep grumpy ol' Nathanos in character, so I hope I didn't do too bad in this!


	10. Chapter 10

Or, that is what would've happened in another scenario. As soon as her lips had lightly brushed against his, Nathanos had immediately pulled away, using both hands to push her away from him in a harsh manner. 

"Just  _ what _ exactly do you think you're doing? _ "  _ Nathanos had snarled with an intense look in that red gaze of his. 

Both the look upon his face and the tone of his voice told Faye that she had most definitely made a mistake. His reaction had been genuine. She was stunned for the briefest of seconds from how his eyes had practically lit ablaze with his reaction, and she found herself at a loss for words to explain herself. 

Inwardly, Faye was unsurprisingly freaking out. What exactly had she been expecting anyway? Of all the people for her to set her eyes upon, she had stupidly chosen Nathanos  _ Blightcaller _ . Champion of the Banshee Queen herself and if that wasn't enough, a Forsaken. Sure, he had shown small moments of softness around her, and at her, but that clearly didn't mean anything close to what she might've believed. She truly felt like an idiot. 

"By the Sunwell, I wasn't thinking. I-" 

"Clearly not." His jaw visibly tensed. 

Faye frowned as she looked down, finding it impossible to meet his gaze for more than a second before the look that was almost close to murderous intent caused her to recoil. All she wanted to do was forget her idiotic mistake and move on. 

"I'm sorry. I.. I really wasn't thinking straight. Can we for-" 

" _ Quiet _ ! We have no time for this nonsense." Nathanos snapped and turned away from her, stalking over 'his' horse and getting up on it. He was silent as the horse inched forward a few steps before she heard him sigh. 

For a moment, she thought he was about to ride off without her, and so she simply stayed put whilst her thoughts were rampaging all over the place. 

" _ Get on."  _

A sharp taste in her mouth paired with Nathanos' cold voice brought her out of her flurry of thoughts. Her gaze flickered over towards Nathanos to see he was impatiently waiting for her to get on the horse. Apparently he had decided to not leave her behind, which surprised her greatly. 

Hesitantly, the rogue moved over to the horse and carefully got on as she ignored the taste of blood in her mouth. She had a habit of biting the inside of her cheek and had evidently bit too hard whilst inwardly panicking. 

The air around them was tense and it made her incredibly uncomfortable. Not only had she clearly misinterpreted everything completely, but it seemed as though she had hurt what little bond that they had, which was worse than rejection. She couldn't even find any hints of bitterness towards the situation, for she knew it had been an idiotic thing to do, especially with someone as volatile as Nathanos.

Her heart was still hammering in her chest from it all, and it was taking a lot of effort to calm herself down. She was surprised at herself that she wasn't more upset. Perhaps somewhere she had subconsciously known that it would happen like that, or it was just everything that had happened recently that had caused her to grow somewhat numb. 

Again she hesitated before putting a light touch upon his sides, else she would quickly take her second fall for that day. As soon as her hands touched him, she visibly saw him tense. He said nothing however, only exhaling sharply before kicking the horse into motion. 

While they rode, Faye dared not say anything out of fear of making the situation even worse. She honestly thought that he would end up tossing her from the horse and just leaving her there. It wouldn't surprise her in the slightest. But, that didn't happen. 

She figured it was around some crazy hours of night by then and while she was feeling the insistent tug of fatigue, Faye wasn't about to ask to stop for the night. And so, the elf simply ignored it and focused on not falling off the horse. It was incredibly dark and she was amazed that Nathanos was even able to navigate his way through the forest. Not once had she ever thought that he might be unsure of what way to go. That had been true in the entirety of their travel. It was impressive to say the least. To Faye, everything looked samey, even with the roads and paths. But of course, she wasn't used to navigating through forests like he was. She figured he must know his maps exceptionally well, or perhaps have travelled through these areas before. 

The tense silence continued through the night. 

\--------------------------

Against the shroud of darkness that the night provided, the crackling fire cast everything in a comforting glow. Tiny little embers floated up into the sky to join the stars above; where they danced around one another. Unlike in Duskwood, it wasn't silent during the nights in Stranglethorn. It was teeming with life, most of it not all that friendly.

Though she should be relieved to finally be able to sleep, everything still felt volatile. The air felt thick and still she did not dare to speak. 

Nathanos was sat some ways away from the fire. Still in range of the warmth and light that it provided, but clearly not in the mood to talk. Again, Faye couldn't blame him. 

Despite it feeling like she had heavy weights tied to her eyelids, she wasn't sure if she could sleep with everything bouncing around in her head whilst she stared into the dancing flames. The heat brought her much needed comfort, but she still felt uneasy. 

Her thoughts wandered just as her gaze did. Her gaze flickered over to Nathanos and she was struck by just how strikingly his eyes matched parts of the fire keeping them warm. There was something about them that really did make it difficult to look away. In fact, Faye found herself to be studying them for a good moment, not even being discreet about it for she hadn't really been aware of her staring. That was until he shifted his gaze and met hers directly. 

Immediately she looked back to the fire, scolding herself in her thoughts. She then fiddled around with her bag before her fingers found her newly filled waterskin. A little while back they had found a spring, much to her relief. Her water had been running low. When morning came, she had decided that she would find her way back to clean herself. That was definitely much needed. 

There was some light rustling in the bush close to Faye that got both of their attention. Nathanos immediately got up and drew his bow with an arrow trained upon it; his gaze narrowing in anticipation. 

Faye wasn't as quick to react, though she shuffled away and slowly unsheathed her sword. 

The rustling grew closer and suddenly-

Out stumbled a little panther cub, no more than a week old. Or… 

Faye raised a brow. The build was much too delicate and small to be of a jungle cat. No, it was a kitten. A domestic kitten in the middle of an actual jungle. That was certainly...odd.

The small black kitten hissed upon seeing Faye and crouched low to the ground; tail puffing up as its tiny little hairs raised. 

The rogue couldn't help the quiet laugh that escaped her. Carefully, she held out her hand and cooed at it, which only caused it to take a few more steps backwards. 

She thought for a moment before quietly reaching into her bag of food and grabbing a small bit of dried meat. Breaking off a chunk, she gently threw it toward the cat. She heard a sigh from Nathanos at that. 

The kitten was very cautious at first before it took a couple delicate steps towards the meat, sniffing at the air. Then a couple more and… 

Pounce!

The little beast snapped up the meat and wolfed it down immediately. Faye smiled gently at that and then attempted to feed the kitten by hand. Once more it approached the situation with caution. But after a few seconds, it gingerly accepted the food offering. 

"Why are you out here, little one?" Faye cooed quietly as the kitten sniffed her hand before gently pressing its head into it. The poor thing must've gotten lost. She couldn't imagine how hungry it must be, seeing as everything in a jungle was much too large for a kitten of all things to attempt to hunt. After having realised it was not in fact a newly born panther, she figured it must still be a kitten, but perhaps a couple of months old, which was fortunate. If it had been a newborn, she'd not have had anything to feed it. She figured it also wasn't a stranger to human contact, or she doubted it would've been so quick to trust her. 

Carefully, Faye went to pick it up, only to be met with a sharp bite on her hand by tiny but very sharp teeth. 

"Okay okay, too much. I'm sorry." She drew her hand away to see whether or not it had broken her skin. It had, but only very slightly. Somehow that entire interaction reminded her very much of what had happened with Nathanos. Her trying to do something that the other clearly was either not ready for, or just didn't want at all and then paying the price for it. 

"What are you doing, Faye?" Nathanos suddenly asked, his tone having reverted to that made it sound like he was insulting her. 

"Getting bit by a kitten, what does it look like?" Faye bit back, her voice sharper than intended. She wrote it off as simply being tired, though she was aware it was because of the hurt her mistake with him had caused. Still, it surprised her that he had spoken. Perhaps he was ready to talk? 

He said nothing else after that though, and Faye just returned her full attention to the cat. She gave it a larger chunk of jerky which it picked up in its mouth before scampering back into the bush. She almost felt a little sad that it left already, knowing that she could've used the distraction. 

A gentle sigh escaped her as she looked into the fire. 

"Nathanos?" 

There was a pause before he answered. 

"What is it?"

Another pause of where Faye was trying to find her words. 

"I truly am sorry about what I did, " She said softly, still staring into the flames. 

"I know I shouldn't have done it, and now I worry I might have damaged, if not ruined our… " The elf frowned. "whatever it was." 

Her honesty surprised herself. She had only intended to apologise once again, but it was as if her words stumbled out of her against her own will. 

Silence fell around them again, asides from the sounds of the crackling fire and quiet wildlife. 

Just when she thought he wouldn't respond, he did. 

"I cannot wrap my head around why it is that you seem to value the idea so much that there is a-.. Bond between us, or whatever you call it." Nathanos started, looking over at her as he spoke. There wasn't much of that coldness in his voice that time when he spoke. 

"I don't know what it is that you expect from me, Fayeliel. Nor do I understand why you choose to pursue this idea with me, instead of someone that isn't  _ dead."  _

Faye shifted to face him, as it seemed he wasn't in the mood to escalate things which gave her some comfort. Still, she found it difficult to meet his gaze properly. Whenever she did, she felt a certain pang in her chest and she wasn't sure whether it was fear or something else. 

"Even though you seem to...resent the idea of there being any sense of companionship or anything else between us, you have proven that not to be the case. You act differently around me than the others. You can't deny that. There have been moments that have made me wonder, but then in the next seconds you go back to being cold. It's… confusing to say the least. " Fayeliel stood and walked over towards him with a burst of confidence. She stood in front of him with her arms crossed, struggling for a moment to get the courage to speak up. 

"So, I'd appreciate it very much if you could make a decision whether or not to resent me, or to accept that there is something going on here. I don't expect anything to come from this, you've made your opinion on that  _ very _ clear. But, I just want some answers. I can't keep up with all this back and forth. " Faye managed to finally meet his gaze fully and not shy away immediately. Somehow she had managed to get everything out without giving in to the rising nervousness at what she figured would be an inevitable outburst from him. In fact, she was mentally preparing herself for him to snap at her again. 

"Damn it Faye!" Nathanos snapped as he grabbed her by her shoulders; the fire in his eyes lit ablaze once more. Were it not for the armour upon them, it would've been enough to hurt her. 

_ There it was,  _ just as she had predicted. 

Then, he closed his eyes for a second and drew in a sharp breath; the grip upon her armoured shoulders relaxing somewhat. 

When his eyes met hers again, they were just as intense before, though he seemed to be trying to control himself and teetering on the edge. 

"I don't know what any of this is, nor what I want. " 

Faye could tell that the man before her was conflicted. One side of him seemed to want to be angry, whilst the other just seemed confused. Whether or not these emotions were directed at himself or her was impossible to tell. 

A moment passed between them where they were simply staring at one another, trying to gauge the others' reaction, neither of them sure of what to say. The tension in the area hadn't lessened and it truly did feel like a bomb could go off at any second. 

Faye sighed quietly and then began to move away, only to find that Nathanos strengthened the grip on her shoulders to stop her from doing so. She gave him a questioning look though it was soon replaced by shock as he drew her in close to his chest in a gentle embrace. As his hands slid down from her shoulders and to around the small of her back, he was mindful of not touching her still fresh injury. 

At first, Fayeliel was completely stunned and didn't move at all. Nathanos was hugging her? She quickly realised that she didn't want him to think that she was rejecting the idea by how she just stood all tensed up. And so she cautiously rested her head on his armoured chest and wrapped her arms around him. Her heart was in her throat and she was certain that he could feel just how wildly it was beating. 

She felt his hand move up to stroke through the back of her hair which caught her even more off guard. Then, a gentle sigh. 

"Nathanos-" Faye had started softly, only to be cut off. 

"Quiet." An order, but not made in his usual cold tone. It was uncharacteristically gentle. A couple of seconds passed before he drew away slightly. He reached up to gingerly caress the side of her cheek with the back of his hand, whilst the other still remained loosely upon the small of her back. 

Something passed between the two. A look, a feeling, and then he leant his face closer to hers and-

"Oh my, how adorable. I see the two of you are in a rush to get back." 

An equally sarcastic and amused voice spoke up. 

Immediately the two pulled away as if burnt by the other. Dark Ranger Lyana was standing there with quite the look upon her face. She was smirking in a very roguish manner. 

"I can't say I'd ever imagined I'd find Blightcaller in a situation like this." 

Fayes' eyes were wide with shock and she felt her face heating up in embarrassment of the situation. Not only that but worry for what this meant for Nathanos. 

Nathanos had looked similarly surprised at first until that look was replaced by him being royally pissed off. She wasn't sure if it was at the intrusion or the rather cheeky comment made by Lyana. 

"You will not speak of this to anyone, lest you find yourself missing a head, am I understood?" He snapped harshly as he took a step toward her with a look in his eyes that made Faye genuinely fear that he might do something he shouldn't. He gritted his teeth in an effort to control himself. 

"Understood. I must say, I did not expect to find you out here, Blightcaller, and certainly not with the traitor. When we were told of your capture, we were led to believe that you had been taken elsewhere. I see now that was a rouse to keep us from retrieving you. " Lyanas' gaze flickered between the two and that little smirk of hers returned. She didn't seem worried in the slightest that he might put an arrow between her eyes. 

"I take it you have been tracking us?" Nathanos asked, though it was more of a statement. 

"Indeed, you did not make it easy, I will admit. I suppose I should expect no different from you. Although I did not know that it was you until very recently. I am sure the Dark Lady will be most pleased to find that her champion has managed to escape. Whether or not the same goes for that the same champion was found about to share a romantic moment with a traitor-"

" _ Enough!  _ My threat was not idle, so I suggest you remember your place." Nathanos snarled in a manner that did finally have the wanted reaction in Lyana, who took a step back.

"My apologies..." She bowed her to show some weak form of genuine respect and apology. 

Clearing her throat, Lyana then straightened up once again. 

"Now then, I think it would be wise for the two of you to return as soon as possible. As such-" 

"Oh there you ar-" 

An elf with pale hair came into view, dressed in very mage-like robes. She seemed surprised to see Nathanos there. 

"As such, Venyra will make a portal." Lyanas' ruby gaze shifted to the mage who hesitated a moment before nodding. 

Faye was both surprised and relieved. She could only assume that Lyana had travelled with the mage to ensure a quick collection once she had found the escaped Horde prisoners. Though things had been unfortunately interrupted between Nathanos, she was much too relieved to finally be able to get back home to really worry much about that. The timing had been perfect though, and she was sure that Lyana had in fact done it on purpose. A thought for another time. She only hoped that the interruption hadn't caused Nathanos to have changed his mind on everything, since it had all happened upon a split decision or so it seemed. 

The mage soon had a portal conjured up that looked very much like the portal room of Orgrimmar. In that moment, Faye felt a huge weight lifted off of her shoulders and she couldn't help the relieved sigh that left her lips.

"Thank you, Venyra was it?" 

The mage nodded with a soft smile. 

Nathanos didn't offer any thanks before he walked through the portal. No doubt he was glad for the quick way back too. 

Faye followed after him shortly. 

\-------------------------

As soon as the two stepped out of the portal, they were met with a surprised looking portal tender, who seemed to be alone in the room. It struck Faye as odd briefly before reminding herself that it was night time, and quite far into it too. 

The other two arrived a few seconds afterwards. 

"Sylvanas is due to return by midday. Until then, should I keep the rogue locked up?" 

Lyana walked in front of the two; her hand resting atop the blade by her hip. 

"No, there's no need for that. Things will be explained later." 

At his rejection of the idea, the amused glint in the other Dark Rangers' eyes only increased as the corner of her lips tugged upwards. 

"It is not like you to have a soft spot for traitors, but I supp-" 

The look Nathanos gave her was more than enough to shut her up. Both of the two mages in the room were hopelessly confused, though none dared to speak.

"With me, Champion." Nathanos motioned with his hand for her to follow him out, using her 'formal' title. 

As Faye followed along with him, she was almost certain she heard something akin to a brief chuckle or snort from Lyana. 

Nathanos must've heard it too, for she heard him audibly exhale in irritation. 

Once they made it out and into the Valley of Strength, Faye let out a content sigh.  _ Home _ … Or well, as close to home as possible. Safe.

The guards stationed at their posts looked equally surprised as the portal tender to see Nathanos. Clearly it was a well known fact that he had been captured, and apparently according to Lyana, been taken somewhere that certainly was not Stormwind. Though it was night, it was surprisingly quiet in the hub of Orgrimmar. There didn't appear to as many grunts as usual, even for it being nighttime.

' _ Has the war really dwindled our numbers so much, or is it just coincidence?'  _

"Now then," He turned to face Faye. "I'd suggest you stay here whilst we wait for Sylvanas' return. Get some rest, and I expect you to not be late for the meeting." And with that, he began to walk away, very likely having a lot of catching up to do. 

She responded with a gentle nod. She glanced around to see whether or not any of the grunts were within earshot. 

"Good night, Nathanos…" 

The Dark Ranger paused and turned his head slightly in her direction. 

"Good night, Champion."

Though their voices had both been quiet, Faye was able to make out a certain softness in his voice. It brought a gentle smile onto her face and for a few seconds she just stood there. Then with a yawn, decided she should find a place to sleep, though she had no coin on her. The Alliance had swiped that from her, for her coin purse had been found empty when she had retrieved her gear. An old acquaintance came to mind, one that would be willing to help. 

\---------------

"Fayeliel? What you be doin' 'ere dis time o' night?" A troll woman muttered tiredly as she rubbed at her face, eyeing the elf up and down. Dressed in little more than a chest wrap and loin cloth, paired with her yawn made it obvious that she had been awoken from her sleep. Her vibrant red hair was much more of a mess than usual too. 

"Thralls' balls, you be lookin' like shit! " The woman chuckled and then invited her inside.

Azeashjins' home was small but comfortable. A small fire crackled in the centre of the main room, which kept everything at a cozy temperature, and kept it from getting too dark. 

"So, I take it dat de rumours of you bein a traitor ain't true? Else I don't tink de guards woulda let you in."Azea ushered her inside the next room where she slept. There was a single hammock in the room but upon a small stool laid a pile of hides that she kept for guests. And on top of the pile slept a striking blue raptor hatchling who lazily opened a single eye to see what the fuss was about. 

"It's… A long story. If it's okay, we can talk about it in the morning?" Faye bit back another yawn, only just noticing the… 'pet'.

"Oh, you have a hatchling?" 

"Don' mind 'im, " Azea replied as she shooed the reptile off of the chair. He chirped in irritation from being moved from his comfy spot before scrambling over to the next room. 

"' is name be Tarakku. Little mischievous ting." She continued, picking up the pile of pelts and laying them nearly onto the ground for Faye to sleep upon. Definitely much better than forest floors, that was for sure. 

"Thank you for letting me stay. I don't have a single copper to my name right now." Faye gave a breathy, awkward chuckle as she began removing all her armour pieces and placing them nearly upon the floor. 

"Oh don' you be worryin' about dat. Just tink of it as me repayin' my debt. Now, you get some rest. You clearly be needin' it." Azeashjin gave the rogue a tusky smile before retreating back into her hammock. 

"Goodnight, 'Zea." Fayeliel replied softly as she got herself comfortable upon the furs after removing all her armour and attachments successfully. She was out cold within seconds. 

  
  
  
  



	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so long and for that, I apologise! Writers block is a bitch ahah ^^'  
> I'm rather rusty in writing, so this probably has a buuuunch of mistakes that I missed.
> 
> I hope you're all doing well and staying safe 'n healthy!

Tug

  
Scratchscratchscratch

  
Harder tug

  
Chirp?

  
Faye immediately shot up when she felt something wet on her foot. Dazed and freaked out, she looked around for the source. In her very sudden waking, the culprit of the scratches and the licking had scampered away out of shock. But underneath the chair next to her crouched the little raptor hatchling. The elf groaned tiredly; wiping her eyes with her arm before standing up, figuring she should get up anyway. It looked to be early morning, though Azeashjin was nowhere to be seen. She must've woken up some time before Faye and gone out already. Placed upon the chair was a messily folded note which had obviously been left for her. 

  
'Be back by noon, didn't want to wake you. I've put the pot on and gotten the tub out so you can get a bath. Everything you be needin is in the washroom, as usual. Help yourself to whatever you fancy. Oh and you be lookin too skinny, eat something! Tarakku has been fed, don't give him anything or he will get fat.'

  
-Zea

  
Faye smiled softly to herself as she read the letter. Some parts of it were hard to make out because while Zea was an amazing huntress, she was far from a skilled scribe. Being that Faye was a notoriously light sleeper, she could only assume that she had been out cold, for she obviously hadn't woken until Tarakku had licked her foot.

  
Seeing as she would be taking a bath shortly anyway, the elf didn't bother with her armour, though she made a mental note to give it a deep clean when she got the chance. Like herself, the armour also needed a bit of care. A lot, actually. It was pretty filthy, as were her clothes. But there wasn't much to be done about that. It almost seemed counter productive to bathe, only to have to wear dirty clothing again. But it would only be for the meeting with Sylvanas, or that was what she assumed to be the case. After that, she hoped she would be free to visit her home in Zandalar where she would undoubtedly hibernate for a few days. Or years. 

  
Humming softly, Fayeliel made her way through to the washroom. Behind her came the light clicking of talons against the stone floor. Apparently Tarakku was very much intrigued by the stranger in his house. Crouching down, she reached out her hand to pet the tiny creature. It chirped at her and in a very cat-like manner, bumped his head into her hand. 

  
"I'm sorry, 'Zea said not to feed you. Doesn't want you getting fat." Faye chuckled as she stood up once again.

"Now shoo, I don't need an audience while I take a bath." She nudged Tarakku out gently with her foot before closing the door and placing the flimsy looking hook lock into place. 

  
As her friend had stated, the firepot was still on, though the fire wasn't as strong anymore. In the corner of the small room was a pile of wood, which she fed to the fire. Next to said wood pile were jugs of clean water and in the center of the room, a medium sized, circular wooden tub. It would definitely take a while to both heat up the water and then fill up the tub. 

  
Eventually she managed, and had made herself a hot, lightly scented bath. She hadn't taken the troll to be much of a beauty focused woman, but she certainly had a wide variety of bath oils on display. Faye chose the most neutral, flowery scent to mix into the water, along with some soaps. At first when she had dipped her foot into the water, it felt much too hot. But having already let the water sit and cool for quite a while, she had gotten rather inpatient, and she knew her body would quickly adjust to the temperature. 

  
As she began to sink into the water, it soon reached the wound upon her back, which stung in harsh protest. So did the various other tiny little cuts that she must've received over the course of the travel, but it wasn't enough for her to be all that bothered. 

  
Faye let herself soak in the bath for quite a while, only finally getting out when the water had begun to cool, much to her dismay. If she could, she would have stayed in there much longer. But she also wasn't sure how far into the day it was, and she knew she most definitely did not want to be late in reporting to Sylvanas. 

  
Freshly cleaned and properly pampered, Faye resented the idea of getting back into her filthy clothes. And that was when she noticed a pile of clothing that were very much not… 'Troll' fashion. Upon it, was another note along with a roll of bandages.

  
'I forgot to put this in the other letter but I got you some other clothes. They should fit. Don't worry about paying me back. They were only cheap but I figured they would do the job.'

  
Faye sighed quietly, feeling rather guilty at how much Azeashjin was doing for her. Even though it was in return for something she had done in the past, Faye still made it a point to at least pay her for the clothing when she was able to. 

  
The outfit consisted of undergarments, a light grey tunic and dark brown leather breeches. Putting everything on revealed that it all fit pretty well, though some parts were a little oversized. Overall though, it was a huge improvement from her other dirtied and bloodstained clothes.

  
Her hair had taken some work to be able to get through all the knots and such, but eventually that too was tamed. She didn't bother with tying it back and just let it hang loosely to dry completely. Looking in the small mirror in the room, Faye was pleased to see that she pretty much looked to be back to her usual self, if only perhaps a little thinner than before. A good night's rest and hot bath could do wonders for the tired traveller. 

  
After that, she helped herself to food, got dressed in her armour and then headed out. Judging by where the sun sat in the sky, it was close to being midday making her glad she hadn't wasted any more time. 

  
Faye began to make her swift approach to the Grommash Hold. It was a good few minutes of walking before she got there and when she neared the entrance, she saw a very familiar Dark Ranger also approaching. 

  
"Ah, Champion. The Dark Lady should be arriving shortly. " Nathanos had joined Faye at her side; speaking in the tone of voice that made it seem as though he looked down at her. If one thing was certain, it was that he was impeccably good at keeping his cold tone of voice consistent, despite what had happened between them. Or well, what had been about to happen. There were more guards around now, so it was no surprise that he acted that way around her. However, his burning gaze had held a gentle secret within them as he regarded her briefly. It lacked that intensity that she had become so familiar with.

  
"We will await her arrival inside the hold." Nathanos motioned for her to follow him as he began walking up the metal plated pathway that led directly to the Grommash Hold. 

  
Faye merely nodded and followed him inside, staying a couple of steps behind him. She felt glares from a couple of the grunts stationed outside. Oh, right. She was still technically a traitor, and it appeared this was well known. The consequences of what she had done were some that the rogue did not dare think about. All she could do was pray that all would be forgiven, once it was revealed that it had in fact been her that had freed Nathanos. Suddenly, a wave of uncertainty and worry washed over her as her feet made their way up the steel steps of the hold. 

  
What if she wasn't forgiven? 

  
Her lips pressed together to form a thin line as her brows moved into an anxious frown; continuing on inside as her heart started into a quicker, nervous pace.

  
What if what she had done had caused many to die from what she had shared?

  
Well of course that would have happened. It was foolish to pretend otherwise.

  
Lost in such dire thoughts, Fayeliel hadn't been paying much attention at all. It was only when Nathanos pointedly said her name that she was brought back to the present. The way he'd spoken made it seem like he had repeated himself. 

  
"What is the matter with you?" The Dark ranger asked as he eyed her with a mixture of curiosity and concern. For now, they were alone in the throne room.

  
"I just worry about what my actions have caused, and whether or not I will be forgiven." 

  
Before Nathanos had a chance to respond, the sound of light footsteps announced the arrival of someone new. 

  
In strolled Sylvanas, carrying with her an air of pride and elegance. The banshee looked genuinely surprised when she saw Nathanos who'd moved to stand at the side of her throne.

  
"Nathanos?" 

  
Immediately, the man bowed deeply in a show of respect and loyalty. 

"My Queen, it is good to see you again." 

  
Sylvanas spared Faye a glance, who similarly had fallen into a bow. 

  
"And the traitor too."

  
The woman hummed softly as she strode over to her throne before sitting down in a manner so effortlessly graceful that in of itself was a display of her title.

  
Such a small act display was enough for Fayes' heart to leap into her throat.

  
"I am glad to have you back, my Champion. Your absence has been sorely felt." With a finger, Sylvanas motioned for him to move to stand in front of her, which he did without question. A soft smirk played upon Windrunners' lips as she gave the man a once over; perhaps to check for any visible injuries. Her gaze lifted to meet his, where it lingered as a moment of silence passed between the two.

  
"We were led to believe you were held in an unknown location, with reports confirming you were not in Stormwind." 

  
Both Faye and Nathanos frowned at that. 

  
That statement made no sense whatsoever. He had been held in Stormwind for the entirety of their capture, as had she.

  
So, how was it that even Sylvanas had been lead to believe otherwise?

  
"I am most curious as to what you are doing here, and with that traitor. " 

Sylvanas met Fayeliels' gaze for the briefest of seconds before the rogue immediately recoiled. Nathanos' most resentful glare could not even compare to the way Sylvanas regarded her, even so briefly. Almost disguised as a casual glance, but with tones to it that could cause even the most weathered of carefree soldiers unease. It made her feel like an insignificant ant. One might assume that the rogue was afraid of Sylvanas, and they would be very correct in that assumption.

Sylvanas hummed quietly in thought as her ruby gaze shifted over to Faye.

  
"I can assure you that the both of us were held within Stormwind. The rumours of me being held elsewhere were likely conjured to delay my return, my Lady."

  
The Warchief tapped a clawed finger atop her leg that was crossed over the other.

"I see. Our scouts have clearly been proven useless then. Now then," 

  
In one fluid motion, Sylvanas had risen from her throne and strode in front of Faye. With armoured fingers, she took hold of the shorter elf's chin as her ruby coloured gaze narrowed.

  
"Our scouts however, did inform me of how our trusted little 'champion' had betrayed the Horde. Countless soldiers have been lost," 

One of the steel claws pointedly pressed into Fayes' throat as controlled anger began to seep into Sylvanas' voice.

  
Fayeliel was frozen in place. She didn't dare move nor speak, out of fear that Sylvanas would suddenly feel tempted to press just a little harder and pierce her throat. Inwardly, the rogue was obviously panicking. There was absolutely nothing stopping Windrunner from disposing of her right then and there. Not even Nathanos, who merely kept a steady gaze on the two. He seemed entirely indifferent to the precarious situation Faye was in. But of course, she shouldn't have expected any different from him. Were it between herself and Sylvanas, she knew she would be discarded within an instant. Which was why, she assumed, that Nathanos simply watched in silence, with only the briefest looks of concern crossing his gaze.

"And yet despite your actions, Nathanos kept you alive,"

  
Faye was released as Sylvanas took a step back, turning her attention toward Nathanos, giving him an expecting look.

  
"Fayeliels'... treachery was what allowed us to escape. It was a sacrifice she chose to make in order to free me. An unfortunately devastating decision, it would seem." His eyes met Fayes' for a second, before they moved back to Sylvanas.

  
"My Lady, I would ask that she is spared punishment for this. It would not have been possible for me to return so soon, if not for her...assistance." Nathanos spoke carefully, keeping his gaze trained upon his Queen. He had been hesitant at first with his words, for obvious reasons.

  
Sylvanas eyed him strangely for a second. "Very well. I trust your judgement on this, Nathanos," There was a brief pause. "You are dismissed."

  
Sylvanas had only very briefly glanced in Fayes' direction.

  
The rogue hesitated for the briefest of moments before she made her quiet exit, leaving the two to discuss whatever matters that were between them.

  
As soon as she was outside, the elf couldn't help but release the breath she had been holding, inwardly thanking Nathanos for deciding to speak on her behalf. It was almost shocking how quickly her actions had been dismissed by the Banshee Queen. But Faye knew that Nathanos was perhaps the only person that Sylvanas truly trusted, and that had been but one example of that.

\-------------------------------

  
Unsure of what to do, Faye idly wandered about the valley of strength. There were things unspoken between her and Nathanos that she so desperately wanted to settle. To go back to that moment in Stranglethorn before Lyana had interrupted. Her heart fluttered in her chest at the memory. Now that they were back, Faye wasn't so sure how things would progress. It would be close to impossible to be able to get him alone for long enough to talk about such things.

  
She soon found herself seated atop a stack of crates near the portal room as she waited for him to finish with his meeting with Sylvanas. He was still her Commander after all, and she hadn't yet been given the order to return to Zuldazar. 

  
And so, Fayeliel fell into her own thoughts, uninterrupted by the activities around her. Thoughts of those that had fallen under her whisperings to the Alliance, to whether or not Shiadrih was among them. About the war in its' entirety.

  
That was until a familiar voice called her out of it.

  
"Ah Champion, I hope you are ready to return to Zuldazar?" His voice carried that usual cold authority in it, though the way that he had spoken Fayes' title had been ever so slightly softer. Such a subtle difference that most wouldn't notice it at all. There was just a hint of...something in his words. A something that seemed to be reserved for the rogue.

  
The ebony haired elf spun around immediately on the wooden crate she was sat upon to face Nathanos. When their eyes met in that fleeting moment, Faye couldn't stop herself from the gentle smile that worked its way onto her lips.

  
"Of course. It is not like I have any business here," Her golden gaze flickered around their surroundings briefly; checking for anyone who might be in earshot. When she spoke again,she lowered her voice.

"Nathanos, we need to ta-*

  
"Excellent. Then let us be on our way."

He left her no chance to object, as he had already begun to walk away at his usual swift pace. Clearly, he did not want to waste any time with whatever it was that Faye had wanted to say. 

The rogue had to bite down the urge to sigh and simply followed behind him as the two began to walk to the portal room.

  
"Natha-"

  
"Not now." Nathanos cut her off before she could even finish saying his name; a hint of impatience in his voice.

  
Faye huffed quietly to herself and held her tongue for the rest of their walk. It seemed as though whatever he had discussed with Sylvanas had irked him. Or perhaps he simply didn't wish to talk to her when they were in view of others. It would not surprise her if he refused to speak to her outside of missions and such, though she rather hoped that wasn't the case. It wasn't exactly like she could just forget what had happened moments before they had arrived in Orgrimmar.

  
Perhaps he'd changed his mind after all?

  
She wasn't really paying attention much whilst Nathanos exchanged some brief words with one of the portal keepers. Inwardly the elf was cursing the man for being so confusing and contradictory in his ways, wondering why it was that he seemed to be unable to make his mind up on how to act around her.

  
It was only when the portal to Zuldazar shimmered and the familiar sight of the Banshee's Wail warped into view that she stopped her train of thoughts. She cast a questioning look at Nathanos who said nothing before stepping into the portal, clearly expecting her to follow him without question.

  
And so she did.


End file.
